Beware of 'incredible' Burnley, says Klopp
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LONDON • Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Burnley's position at the bottom of the Premier League table is not reflective of their quality, calling their second-half performance in last Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Manchester United "incredible".
Speaking ahead of his side's trip to Turf Moor today, he said: "Burnley are bottom of the table, with games in hand I know, but the quality they produced that night (against United) was incredible, especially the second half.
"They played pressing up the pitch and it was a proper team performance and together with the stadium, that is the thing they need to do - they know better than I do - to stay in the league.
"It sounds like when you are in February and bottom of the table, no one cares about the games you have in hand, but there is a big possibility for them to stay in (the league) because of the power they can produce as a team."
The second-placed Reds have welcomed back Sadio Mane after he helped Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations, with local media reporting that he will have a stadium named in his honour in his home region of Sedhiou.
Captain Jordan Henderson is also available after missing the 2-0 win over Leicester City with a back ailment, meaning the Reds have no major injury worries.
Burnley, meanwhile, will be boosted by the return of Maxwel Cornet, who had to come off against United. They will still be without Matej Vydra, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Charlie Taylor but Ashley Barnes could feature.
Manager Sean Dyche believes the coronavirus-induced postponement of their games against Leicester City and Watford in mid-January have helped them reset. They had lost three games in a row before that break but have been unbeaten since returning to action at Arsenal on Jan 23.
He said: "I think we had to re-check ourselves after the game against Leeds (a 3-1 loss on Jan 2).
"We had a period with injuries and Covid and there was a period of realignment of players' thoughts. We got back to basics against Arsenal with our defensive performance and on another day, it could have been more than a draw... Then against Man United it was a soft first half and a strong second half."
BURNLEY V LIVERPOOL
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