‘I expect…’ – Klopp and Liverpool fans will be praying that pundit’s pre-City prediction is right
Jurgen Klopp will be fervently hoping that one pundit’s prediction about a couple of Liverpool players proves accurate. The Reds return to action on Saturday with a top-of-the-table Premier League clash away to Manchester City, with both teams sweating over the fitness of certain players prior to the Etihad Stadium showdown. Virgil van Dijk and […]
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Jurgen Klopp will be fervently hoping that one pundit’s prediction about a couple of Liverpool players proves accurate.
The Reds return to action on Saturday with a top-of-the-table Premier League clash away to Manchester City, with both teams sweating over the fitness of certain players prior to the Etihad Stadium showdown.
Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo are currently fighting fit, and having helped Netherlands to clinch Euro 2024 qualification last weekend, some commentators within the country believe they mightn’t be called upon for tonight’s dead rubber clash against Gibraltar.
Speaking on the AD Football Podcast, Maarten Wijffeels said: “Now that the Dutch team has qualified for the European Championship, all kinds of club coaches are going to call to spare the big guns.
“Jurgen Klopp does not want Cody Gakpo or Virgil van Dijk to get injured against Gibraltar. Daley Blind experienced that once in 2021. That is the horror. So I expect quite a few changes on Tuesday. Maybe 11 new players.”
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Our message to Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman is simple – listen to Wijffeels and give other players a chance, now that qualification is secured.
Gibraltar are reeling from a harrowing 14-0 defeat to France just three days ago, so the Dutch could hardly have hand-picked more accommodating opponents to face in their final Euro 2024 qualifier.
They should be able to make a host of changes and still have a starting XI which is more than capable of rounding off the campaign with another victory.
It doesn’t take the deductive powers of Sherlock Holmes to determine that Liverpool’s clash at Man City on Saturday has more riding on it than an inconsequential game for Netherlands tonight, so we’re imploring Koeman to give Van Dijk and Gakpo the night off.
Klopp will have one more restless night with plenty of his squad on international duty. As many as 12 Reds players could be involved for their countries over the next 24 hours – fingers crossed they’ll all return to Merseyside fully fit and raring to go for next weekend’s titanic trip to the Etihad.
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