Liverpool played 120 minutes against Stoke City on Tuesday and still needed penalties to qualify for the League Cup final. Stoke had 3km less – so it was intense.
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“It was the game; we wanted to go to the final and we had to fight for it. We did it and that’s great”.
“He did really well for the team in a very hard time with a long term injury and still having problems, always pain”.
“It will be a different team to [the one in] the last game”.
Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool): “I don’t want a replay – I would like to win without a second game. Yes”. They really try to win each game.
The spectacled gaffer also supplied an injury update on several of the club’s players.
On the plus side, centre-back Dejan Lovren could make his comeback on Saturday from a hamstring strain, which has ruled him out since the semifinal first leg at Stoke on January 5 – while Philippe Coutinho is not ready to play but has made progress.
“Everyone in this room knows Daniel much better than myself, I saw him playing a few times in training but there is no doubt about his quality”.
Although Liverpool’s inconsistency has seen them fall behind in the chase for a top-four Premier League finish, and a place in the Champions League, their cup form suggests Klopp could make an immediate winning start to his career as the Merseyside club’s manager.
With that in mind senior players such as Roberto Firmino, Nathaniel Clyne and Jordan Henderson are not expected to start at Anfield.
“When we played against them, we played badly at West Ham”. Losing would be a blow but it wouldn’t be a shock – it’s Liverpool at home.
“I was not happy with the draw”, Bilic told reporters. I don’t think they will be as bad as they were at Upton Park earlier this month.
Liverpool required a replay to get past Exeter and face a much tougher challenge against the Hammers at Anfield-West Ham have won both the league fixtures between the sides this season. “But we are confident and we know what we have to do to have a chance to beat them again”.
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The League Cup finalists continue their FA Cup campaign on Saturday, with Klopp relaxed over possible new arrivals. And then again against Leicester City and again against the rest.’ It doesn’t work like that, so we have to make a few changes. Some players covered 17km in that last game.
