Alex Neil is looking forward to making up his own mind on the ebullient character that is Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

The German's high profile arrival in the Premier League has not proved universally popular among the managerial fraternity, with both Tony Pulis and Sam Allardyce having touchline run-ins with the Reds' chief in the early part of his Anfield reign. Neil aims to ensure Klopp endures another uncomfortable shift as the self-styled 'Normal One' gets to grips with the intricacies of English football.

'I have not come across him yet so it will be interesting when I do meet him,' said Neil. 'I know there was a wee bit going on with Tony Pulis and some of the other managers so I look forward to that. He did great at (Borussia) Dortmund and we all know what he is capable of doing. He gets his team playing in a certain way. The question is can he get this current set of players to function in that way or does he need to go and recruit? Every manger finds themselves in that position when you take over a new team. He is bringing his own style of play and they have had a mixed bag, in terms of results, and like a lot of teams they are perhaps in a transition phase. They signed a lot of players in the last season or two and they are trying to find their best combinations.'

Neil detects subtle differences between Klopp and his predecessor, Brendan Rodgers, that may negate the lingering effects of a battling 1-1 draw at Anfield in the corresponding Premier League fixture.

'I think they are more direct than Brendan's teams. They play higher up the pitch as well but both pose you difficult questions in different ways,' he said. 'I think this game will be very different from the game at Anfield. They played three at the back on that occasion. We need to make sure we are prepared because this game will be considerably different.

'We are unbeaten in five at home in the league. Home form is crucial, whether you are competing at the top end or at the bottom trying to secure your status. The last two away games, the last one in particular, we will take on its individual merits. We just didn't perform. In the Stoke game we performed really well until we made a silly decision and went down to 10 men. Those two have no bearing on this one and the focus this week is on trying and keep our home run going.'

Neil's major selection dilemma is whether to fast-track new signings Steven Naismith and Timm Klose into his plans.

'Steven is fully up-to-speed with the Premier League, so he comes into my thoughts,' said Neil. 'Timm is fine, fitness-wise, we just need to take into account he has never been involved in a Premier League game.

'You look at someone like Ivo Pinto and he is someone who is in the situation where he will be involved in the squad. I left him out the last couple of games because I didn't think it was fair to chuck him in.'