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Jurgen Klopp Talks Liverpool Injuries, Unbeaten Season Ahead of Tottenham Clash
January 10, 2020
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Naby Keita and James Milner will not feature against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Milner lasted just nine minutes in the 1-0 FA Cup win over Everton on Sunday before limping off, while Keita suffered a groin injury in the warm-up ahead of the Reds' 2-0 win over Sheffield United on January 2.
Per Paul Gorst of the Liverpool Echo, Klopp said: "James and Naby not available. Muscle injuries. We will see. Not for this weekend or next then we will see."
Joel Matip is training on his own as he recovers from a knee injury that has kept him out since October, while Xherdan Shaqiri is back in training as normal after missing three matches with a hamstring strain.
On Dejan Lovren and Fabinho, he added the pair will be "next week in full training" and have "worked really hard lately," so they could be in contention to feature against Manchester United on January 19.
Fabinho has not played since injuring his ankle on November 27, while Lovren has been out for a month with a muscle issue.
The Reds have won 19 of their 20 Premier League matches this season, drawing the other.
Per Gorst, Klopp was asked whether his side could match Arsenal's Invincibles team from 2003-04 and go the entire campaign without defeat.
"Haven't thought a second about it," he said. "We wouldn't have won so many games had we done that. Other teams never set a record because they wanted a record, you need to be focused. My big problem now is Spurs. How they think and play. [They are my] only concern."
The coach discussed what he is anticipating from the Lilywhites and praised counterpart Jose Mourinho:
Klopp was asked how he and Mourinho compared as players, but the 56-year-old's playing position eluded him:
According to Transfermarkt, Mourinho was a midfielder during his brief playing career before he retired in 1987 at the age of 24.
Liverpool came from behind to beat Spurs 2-1 in October, and they also won 2-0 against them in the UEFA Champions League final in June.
Mourinho was not the manager on either occasion, but Spurs' form heading into Saturday's clash is a concern. Tottenham have won just three of their last nine matches—none in their last three—and lost four of them.
Spurs will also be without top scorer Harry Kane, who will be out of action until April because he requires surgery on a ruptured tendon in his hamstring.
Liverpool have lost just once to Spurs in all competitions since 2012, when the north London outfit beat them 4-1 in 2017, and given Tottenham's recent form, it seems unlikely the Reds' unbeaten run this season will come to an end on Saturday.