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If there were any doubts that it would be a heavily changed side of youth and fringe players given the chance to take on Leeds United in tomorrow’s EFL Cup clash, they quickly disappeared when manager Jürgen Klopp had his pre-match press conference today.
The Liverpool boss confirmed that while things looked good in the medium-term when it came to the likes of Adam Lallana, Roberto Firmino, and Daniel Sturridge, none would be ready to take part on Tuesday when Liverpool look to secure a place in the semi-finals.
“Adam is in a very good way, close to training but not ready for the game.” Klopp told the gathered journalists. “Daniel is not training with the team, and it is the same for Roberto. There were a few knocks and yesterday was painful for him but I think it will be okay.”
As of now, the manager is cautiously optimistic that all three will be available when Liverpool take on Bournemouth on Sunday and look to keep pace with Chelsea and Manchester City at the top of the table. Their rivals take on West Brom and Leicester respectively.
Meanwhile, just like the fans, the Liverpool manager is waiting on the results of Philippe Coutinho’s scan following an ankle injury on Saturday. It looked bad at the time, but following the match it was learned that at least the Brazilian hadn’t broken any bones.
“We have to wait for Phil’s scan this afternoon, then we will know how long he will be out and we have to take it like it is,” Klopp added. “The best thing would be for him to not be out but that is not really likely.”