Jurgen Klopp: Mohamed Salah Fit vs. Arsenal but No Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita
November 2, 2018
Mohamed Salah is available to face Arsenal on Saturday, but Liverpool will have to do without Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita again, according to manager Jurgen Klopp.
Per Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo, he said as much in Friday's press conference and explained the issue that prompted Salah to train wearing a wrist splint was "nothing serious."
On Henderson, he added the midfielder "is really good but will start training at start of next week."
Tuesday's clash with Red Star Belgrade will seemingly come too soon, though:
Nevertheless, the German believes Liverpool can cope without the duo: "Being without two midfielders should always be possible to deal with. A third one would be more problematic. It's good for us that we could deal with it the way we did, the boys did well with the change of the system."
Keita has missed Liverpool's last three games, while Henderson has not featured in their last two, but that did not stop the Reds earning three wins and scoring four goals apiece against Red Star and Cardiff City.
Liverpool are unbeaten in the Premier League this season and are top of their UEFA Champions League group, but Klopp does not want his side to become complacent.
"My assessment is so far, so good [on the season]," he said, per Doyle. "A quarter of the season gone, that's nothing. We have not done anything special, only what we have expected from us. We did what we had to do. As long as majority of boys are fit, we have a really good football team."
The Reds have faced several big tests so far in this campaign. In those, they've beaten Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain and drew with Manchester City and Chelsea, though they lost to the Blues in the Carabao Cup.
Arsenal have won 12 of their last 13 matches in all competitions, so Saturday's trip to the Emirates Stadium will be another stern examination.
Klopp is expecting as much, per the Echo's James Pearce:
The last time Klopp and Arsenal boss Unai Emery were opposite one another in the dugout it was in the 2016 UEFA Europa League final, when the latter's Sevilla side came from behind to beat Liverpool 3-1.
Per Doyle, Klopp has moved on from the disappointment: "I don't think Emery had much influence on the first half and I couldn't influence the second half. It's happened. It's history."
That game may have little bearing on Saturday's outcome, but the coach will be eager to avenge the defeat.
If the Reds can win, they'll move seven points clear of the Gunners in the Premier League table.