Football: Liverpool v City never boring, says Reds assistant Lijnders

LONDON – The World Cup final has just ended, but two of English football’s giants are already preparing to battle it out in the League Cup fourth round on Thursday, albeit without many of their stars from Qatar.

Manchester City beat Chelsea to advance to this stage, while Liverpool needed to go to a penalty shoot-out before seeing off Derby County in the third round.

That is the stark contrast, with Pep Guardiola’s side – winners of the competition between 2018 and 2021 – defeating a fellow top side in the Premier League while Jurgen Klopp’s Reds having to toil to get past League One’s Derby.

But Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders, on media duty on Wednesday in place of Klopp, is not fazed.

He said that he had urged his players to go all out at the Etihad on Thursday.

“It’s never a boring game against City. Both teams will put on a top game for sure,” he said.

“We need to be 100 per cent concentrated against them and efficient when we have the ball.

“Whoever plays, they will make it a top show.”

He also hinted that Liverpool’s young players will get a chance against Guardiola’s men.

“If the World Cup proved one thing it is that you need your whole squad,” he said.

“When we play League Cup, it is always during a busy schedule. It is a perfect moment to use a full squad.

“Age is just a number. We still believe we need to give our talent a chance because we believe in them.”

Liverpool’s shoot-out win over Derby was the third of four straight victories before the World Cup break, so the momentum could be lost following Qatar, making their task harder.

During the month-long tournament, the Reds competed in the Dubai Super Cup, losing 3-1 to Lyon before defeating AC Milan 4-1, although they lost both penalty shoot-outs for an extra point at the end of those matches.

Liverpool, the League Cup holders, will be without the injured Diogo Jota, Arthur Melo and Luis Diaz, who suffered a setback in his recovery from knee injury earlier in December and needed to undergo surgery.

Some of the Reds’ World Cup stars – Brazil’s Alisson Becker and Englishmen Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson – were back in training but are unlikely to play a major part on Thursday.

The two teams head into the match having met twice already this season, with City losing in the Community Shield and also at Anfield.

However, Guardiola did not want to look at recent form and insisted on Wednesday that both his team and Liverpool have quality players who can make a difference.

“Enjoy the games with incredible players on both sides. Always has been this way,” he said.

For the Spaniard, who signed a two-year extension in November that will keep him at City until 2025, the League Cup is not the only trophy that he desires.

“I admit that’s the (Champions League) trophy that we want,” he added.

“It wouldn’t be complete, my period here if we don’t win.

“I have the feeling this club sooner or later will get it.

“We tried in the past... we tried with all our strength and power. Of course we will try it (again).”

City played in only one friendly match during the World Cup break, beating Spanish side Girona 2-0.

The goals came from Norwegian hotshot Erling Haaland and playmaker Kevin de Bruyne, whose Belgium side were knocked out in the group stage in Qatar.

Guardiola had lamented over the weekend that he could call up only “four or five” first-team players for the Liverpool clash as his World Cup players return in dribs and drabs.

Asked on Wednesday about the availability of his players, he added: “Step by step people come back, today come back six players.

“We are happy they are back. Let them try to come back as soon as possible.”

The advantage that City have is that unlike Liverpool, they do not have injured players.

Germany’s Ilkay Gundogan could also feature on Thursday after he returned from the World Cup in time to play alongside Haaland and de Bruyne. AFP