Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hints he will stick to youngsters in FA Cup clash against Southampton

LONDON – Following their League Cup final triumph at the weekend, Liverpool will turn their attention to the FA Cup when they host Southampton for their fifth-round clash on Feb 28.

The Reds are chasing the quadruple, including the English Premier League and the Europa League, and they return home to Anfield after a thrilling late 1-0 extra-time win over Chelsea at Wembley.

Manager Jurgen Klopp has been hit by an injury crisis. But he was praised for putting trust in a host of his young players, with barely a handful of first-team appearances, to get the team through.

The German hinted on Feb 27 that some of them may get a chance to play again against Championship side Southampton.

“It’s possible a few of them have to start,” he said. “If they do, they will do the job. We all have to help them.

“It’s a good moment. What we could do so far is just ignore who we are missing. We just think about how we can set up a team that is still difficult to play (against).”

Klopp has few first-team players that he can select.

Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo suffered injuries against Chelsea, and Klopp confirmed that Gravenberch is ruled out while Endo had a “proper knock” and there has been little improvement.

Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Nunez all missed the League Cup final and are also all doubtful.

The Reds’ long injury list includes the likes of Stefan Bajcetic, Thiago Alcantara, Ben Doak, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Alisson Becker and Curtis Jones.

Partly because of all the absences, Klopp had hailed Liverpool’s tough League Cup win as his most “special” honour that he has won in his managerial career so far.

But the celebrations must die down as he focuses on Southampton.

“The league (Championship) is incredible, it’s quite impressive what’s happening there,” he added.

“They are not in the best result at the moment and have an important game on Saturday again. I don’t know how he (Southampton boss Russell Martin) is weighing it up (his team selection).”

The Reds are aiming to progress beyond the fifth round of the FA Cup for just the second time in nine seasons.

However, Klopp’s Premier League leaders have won four in a row in all competitions and should prove to be too strong for their opponents, who are fourth in the Championship.

Liverpool’s win over Chelsea also meant that they have finally ended a seven-game run without a clean sheet, so they have momentum on their side.

Southampton will aim to take advantage of the Reds’ depleted squad, but they slumped to a third loss in four Championship matches when they were beaten 2-1 by Millwall last weekend.

The two sides have not met in the FA Cup since 1989-90, when Liverpool won 3-0, but the Saints held the Reds 4-4 at St Mary’s in last season’s Premier League encounter.

However, Klopp has seen his side win all six of their previous matches at Anfield so his team will again be huge favourites for this clash in front of their fans.

While Liverpool are hoping to continue their good form, Chelsea will welcome Leeds United – who are second in the Championship – to Stamford Bridge, hoping to get over their Wembley heartbreak.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino’s long wait for a first major trophy in English football continues, but he could end it in the FA Cup, where the Blues put in an impressive performance when they beat Aston Villa 3-1 in the fourth round.

But Chelsea are also winless in two consecutive home matches following seven straight victories.

Pochettino is not worried about his players’ mental state, saying: “Always when you lose a final, it’s not easy to recover. But I am so happy because they are really focused, they move forward. 

“Disappointed because we cannot win the Carabao Cup but we need to move on and compete tomorrow.

“We need to keep the spirit up and be ready. We want to go to the end (of the FA Cup) and we have a very good opponent in front (of us) in Leeds.

“We need to be strong, have energy. The players want to be there, to be involved.”

Christopher Nkunku, however, will not feature after suffering a fresh injury blow, while Thiago Silva and Marc Cucurella are not fully fit.

Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Lesley Ugochukwu, Romeo Lavia, Carney Chukwuemeka and Benoit Badiashile remain in the treatment room.