The Reds take on the Toffees in the FA Cup third round on Sunday but Klopp insists the rivalry between the two sides won't influence his decision on his starting 11
Jurgen Klopp is adamant that not even the emotion or history of the Mersey derby will persuade him to risk the health and fitness of a squad stretched to breaking point. And the Liverpool manager spelt out that even though he respects the passion of the Kop and their desire to beat the bitter enemy from across the park, he cannot make decisions “because of the name of the opponent”.
There is no stronger local rivalry in world football, the Merseyside derby producing the most red cards of any fixture in Premier League history. The temptation for Klopp would be to select all his stars to ensure another morale-boosting victory over Everton to follow the inspiring 5-2 Premier League victory of a month ago. But the FA Cup is lower on the list of Anfield priorities, and Klopp insisted there will be no emotion - just plain old sports science - in his team selection for a game he accepts is one of football’s great occasions. “No, I won’t change my selection because it is Everton - that would not be sensible and I have to be,” he said. “In the moment when I start getting emotional – and it is not during the game – then all of us at Liverpool have a problem. “Look, we will make it the occasion it should be. We will have a line-up. But I cannot make a difference that it is Everton or it is another team, that is what I cannot do. “I cannot say we throw everything at it even if some players are limping, that is not what I say. There are no more important or less important games, I just have to make a decision right for this moment by respecting a game from two days ago and five days ago and a week ago.” Klopp believes that simple science will force his hand in selecting a team to face their local rivals on Sunday…even if that means a weakened team that risks losing to the Blues at Anfield for the first time in 20 years, The Reds boss has seven players sidelined with injury - with Naby Keita the latest to join Fabinho, Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Xherdan Shaqiri and Nathaniel Clyne in the treatment room. That leaves him with few options, but he could call on kids like fit again Rhian Brewster, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones, along with fresh squad players such as Divock Origi and keeper Adrian. And the manager explained: “I couldn't make a line-up in this moment if I wanted to. I have to make sensible decisions about this. Can I force anyone into that game saying 'Whatever happens, I don't care’? No. “People have told me already a couple of times I wouldn't respect the cup competitions but that is not true. But my first job is to respect the players, my absolutely number one job. “I see them every day, every second, I see them all the time and I have to make a decision is it allowed to bring them again or not. Sports science and sports medicine is a good place but they cannot do miracles and we cannot have 30-40 player squads, that's not possible.” Klopp offered the intriguing prospect of new signing Takumi Minamino making his debut in the FA Cup, by suggesting: “It’s pretty much the same situation as when Virgil van Dijk made his debut against Everton. He's had three sessions with the team, that's not so much but he came here in good shape, so let's see."
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