LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom —
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted a looming FA Cup semifinal against
Manchester City will have no impact on his team selection for Wednesday’s
Champions League tie at home to Benfica.
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Last weekend the Reds,
still in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies in one season,
drew 2–2 with City to remain just a point behind the Premier League leaders.
They will face City again
in the last four of the FA Cup at Wembley on Saturday but before then the
six-time kings of Europe play Benfica in the second leg of a Champions League
quarterfinal at Anfield.
Liverpool, who beat
Chelsea in a penalty shootout to win the English League Cup final at Wembley in
February, have a healthy 3–1 lead following the first leg in Portugal, which
has led to speculation Klopp could rest key players with an eye to the FA Cup
tie.
But the German boss,
speaking at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday, insisted: “The next game
has no influence on the line-up for tomorrow but the last game has.”
Klopp added: “There is
nobody injured, as far as I know, but we have to be careful with who is fresh
enough for this game and stuff like this.”
As for Liverpool’s ongoing
bid for the quadruple, Klopp said: “We are part of four competitions, and
thankfully we are good enough this year not to go out early.”
Liverpool raced into an
early 2–0 lead in Lisbon last week before Darwin Nunez pulled a goal back for
Benfica.
And it was only when Luis
Diaz scored three minutes from time that Liverpool restored their two-goal
lead.
“Knowing more about the
way they played, they try to isolate Darwin and Ibou (Konate) one-on-one a
little bit,” said Klopp.
“But they play football,
and if you don’t defend (Julian) Weigl then you have a problem as well because
he connects the people. They have speed with Rafa (da Silva), things like
this.”
He added: “I don’t know
(how they will play) but I know what I would do. I would go for it, full
throttle. I would try to put us under pressure, score early, and if not try to
score a bit later. That’s what we expect.”
“But now, bad news for
Benfica, it’s Anfield: they don’t only play against us, they play against the
whole crowd.”
Klopp also suggested
television broadcasters were almost as much a threat to Liverpool as their
opponents in a renewed attack on the scheduling of the Merseysiders’ matches.
If Liverpool defeat
Benfica, they will face either Bayern Munich or Villarreal in the last four,
with Klopp angry that after that potential midweek semifinal Liverpool would
have to travel to Newcastle for a Saturday lunchtime kickoff.
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