Reds take on Gunners as Klopp eyes push for glory

Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp knows his side faces some tough clashes as the season reaches its climax, but the Reds are determined to fight for another Premier League title.

Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp expects top scorer Mohamed Salah to be fit to face Arsenal FC at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

Reds supporters’ hearts were in their mouths on Saturday afternoon when the prolific Egyptian – who so rarely misses games through injury – appeared to suffer a foot injury in the 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion FC at the Amex Stadium.

Klopp, however, expects the 29-year-old – who scored his 20th Premier League goal of the season against Graham Potter’s side and has been named PFA Fans Player of the Month – to feature against the Gunners.

“Mo is a tough cookie and he was only a little bit cut, we were quite lucky with it,” said the boss.

“It was swollen, painful, yesterday a little less swollen, less painful.

“Now I got the message before the press conference that Mo is ready to train and we will see how that looks.”

Ibrahima Konaté is also back in contention after missing the last two games, but Klopp did confirm that neither James Milner nor Kostas Tsimikas would be involved due to illness.

Klopp, meanwhile, said that Manchester City FC’s draw with Crystal Palace will have no impact on his players’ moods ahead of the Arsenal game. As ever, Klopp is focused only on his team’s performances and results.

LFC are currently four points behind City at the top of the Premier League table, with a game in hand.

“Why should it [be on the players’ minds]?” asked Klopp.

“It would impact the mood if we would be in our minds in this competition with City and things – 'we have them here, we have them there' or stuff like this.

“But the fact is we play Arsenal and we are still four points behind.

“I don't know how you can count points away at Arsenal just now already and think, 'It's only one point.' I think it's easy for you, but it is four points and we have to play this game.

“As we all know, if we want to reach something in this Premier League and you are not top of the table, sometimes you need the other teams to drop points. I'm not sure now it was already necessary or not, we will see. It all depends on our results still. That's why we think about them and not the others.”

Klopp also paid tribute to his defence, which has conceded just twice in the last eight games, insisting, “it's the basis for everything.

“Whatever you want to achieve in football or in life is based on defensive discipline [and] on the attitude of the team puts in, because you can only win whatever if you're consistent.

"If you want to be consistent, you have to defend with all you have and everybody has to be involved in all that otherwise it's not possible.”

Finally, while the German knows that he will need to push Pep Guardiola’s City all the way to secure a second title in three seasons, he’s determined to get the best he can out of his players with ten games remaining in the Premier League.

“That's the plan, that's the plan of course: that we keep being as annoying as possible,” he added.

“But how I said, we have to win our football games but that doesn't help when I say it here. You know it anyway [so] why should we say ‘that’s now not our cup of tea’? No, of course we are very ambitious and very determined to do great stuff, but we respect a lot how good they are [and] we respect even more how good the other teams are we face on the way there.

“I have now not all 10 games we have to play [in mind] but there are a few really tough ones.

“Each Premier League game is tough but a few are especially tough. One of them we play tomorrow night and sitting here and I say ‘we win 10 games’ – it doesn't sound very likely but as long as it is possible we will give it a proper try, I can tell you.”