29 March 1978
Rheinstadion
Rheinstadion
Bob Paisley flinched when he heard thé draw for the Européen Cup semi-finals. Although Liverpool would hâve had a testing time against either Juventus or FC Bruges, Borusssia Monchengladbach were the team he really feared. Liverpool had beaten Udo Lattek's West German champions in the previous year's final, and in a UEFA Cup Final in 1973, but Bob Paisley knew Borussia would be yearning for revenge. Liverpool had only rarely reproduced the form that had won them the Champions' Cup. The spirit of Rome had somehow been missing. The league championship looked lost, and they had been beaten by Nottingham Forest in thé League Cup Final, a trophy which had not found its way into the Liverpool locker. The European Cup offered thé last hope of success. Borussia knew that there was no Keegan, or Toshack, the Welshman having departed for Swansea City to become player-manager. The Germans, meanwhile, looked a stronger side than a year before, though they had scraped into thé semi-finals after losing 3-1 at SSW Innsbruck. In Germany, the talk was ail of revenge. Liverpool needed cool heads in front of 66,000 fans in Dusseldorf.
