Jurgen Klopp Talks Joel Matip's Fitness, Fabinho's Debut, Ragnar Klavan and More

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp revealed on Friday that the Reds will still be without a number of central defenders when they face Crystal Palace on Monday, as Joel Matip continues to work his way back and Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan haven't trained.

As James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo shared, the tactician said Fabinho could play in the heart of defence if needed but Joe Gomez that will likely partner Virgil van Dijk given his good form:

Gomez was a standout performer in pre-season and impressed against West Ham United in the Reds' season opener, so he has more than earned a spot alongside Van Dijk.

The strong performance of the midfield trio―Naby Keita, James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum―against the Irons likely means Fabinho won't make his full debut on Monday, with a bench role expected once again.

Lovren and Klavan are unlikely to make the bench, and the latter could still depart the club this summer. Per James Whaling of the Mirror, Klopp said the Estonia international will only leave if he signs off on it: "If Klavan leaves, then I suggested it. That's how it is. It's about the situation. How is the offer? How is the need for us? We are not in a financial situation where we have to [move players out]. We can give a few players an opportunity [to leave], but we have to see how many."

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Klopp also denied recent transfer speculation suggesting Dominic Solanke will leave before the end of August, including on a loan.

He turned his attention to Monday's match, expressing his admiration for former Reds striker Christian Benteke, who is now the main man in attack for Palace:

Former Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson was also on the receiving end of praise:

"We are still in a process. We have to develop. We are not the best team in the world. There is a lot of space for us to improve.

"It's very important because we are not alone. Our supporters like the way we are doing it.

"If you cannot deliver or the supporters ask for something impossible, that's not healthy.

"Against West Ham was good, but I saw Palace play against Fulham and they have grown as a group. Roy is doing a fantastic job there."

Klopp also made another Rocky analogy, similar to the one he made earlier in April, per the Mirror's David Maddock. According to the German, his team will also have to learn how to deal with adversity:

The 2018-19 campaign has yet to serve up any adversity for the Reds, who appear in midseason form after a great pre-season and their 4-0 demolition of West Ham. They will be strong favourites on Monday and will continue in that role until they meet Tottenham Hotspur on September 15.