Klopp expecting Liverpool to face Ederson despite injury scare for Man City keeper
The Brazilian was taken off by the Blues at half-time in their latest Champions League outing, but is still expected to make Sunday’s trip to Anfield
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is “100 per cent” certain that Ederson will line up for Manchester City in a crunch Premier League clash despite picking up a knock on Champions League duty.
The Blues saw their Brazilian goalkeeper forced off at half-time during their European encounter with Atalanta.
An unfortunate situation got even worse for Pep Guardiola’s side nine minutes from time when Claudio Bravo was shown a red card, forcing Kyle Walker to be introduced between the sticks.
No indication has been offered by those inside the Etihad Stadium camp as to whether Ederson will be ready for domestic action on Sunday when City take in a testing trip to Anfield.
Klopp, though, believes that Guardiola will select his trusted first-choice keeper, with Liverpool not expecting to face a weakened opponent.
The Reds boss told Sky Sports: “If he does not play then it would change, because Ederson is an important part of the game. Bravo can do similar things – exactly the same nobody can do, that’s how it is.
“But, I expect him 100% to play.
“He’s an all the time player. Last year I think there was something similar when he went out in a game and a couple of days later he was back on the pitch.
“I think it was precaution. I watched the game and didn’t see any problems from him.
“Going in the dressing room, I know how it is, and you ask around ‘any issues?’ and someone says ‘it’s a bit tight’ and you go ‘ok, no risk, come off’. These kind of things happen constantly and you have to react, but I don’t see him not playing on Sunday.”
It is being suggested that the outcome of a heavyweight encounter on Merseyside could go a long way towards determining the destination of the Premier League title in 2019-20.
Liverpool missed out to City by a solitary point last season, with star-studded sides working under Klopp and Guardiola expected to lead the charge again this term, but those involved are eager to point out that 90 minutes of football will not make a massive impact on a 38-game campaign.
Klopp added: “We know about the situation last season, we only lost one game, it was against City and it proved decisive at the end.
“That is maybe how people see it but you have to play all the games.
“If we win the game at the weekend and don’t win any games after that, there is nothing. If City wins the game on Sunday and no games after that, it doesn’t help them either.
“So there is so much to come and the most intense period of the year – November, December, January – is still coming, so we have to be ready for all these games.
“We don’t think too much about what influence can be had on the rest of the season because that is influenced by the rest of the season, not one game.”
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