(Reuters) – Leicester will make for dangerous opponents as they look to bounce back from a 4-1 drubbing away to second-tier club Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said on Wednesday.
Leicester beat Liverpool 1-0 when the sides last met in the Premier League, and Klopp said Brendan Rodgers’ side will be looking to respond to their FA Cup exit with another good result against the Merseyside club on Thursday.
“They’ll want to respond after the way they lost to Nottingham. As a manager, Brendan will want them to respond by playing a great game against Liverpool,” Klopp told reporters.
“They have an extreme threat on counter threats and balls in behind with whoever is playing. They also have a good football-playing midfield. Their style worked out well against us in our last league game.
“It will be a proper football game and it’s at Anfield – we should not forget that. We should try and create a special atmosphere.”
Klopp added that Liverpool will be without Africa Cup of Nations winner Sadio Mane and club captain Jordan Henderson against Leicester.
Mane, who led Senegal to their first ever Africa Cup of Nations title with a win over Egypt, is yet to return to training, while Henderson is set to miss the Leicester tie after picking up a back injury in an FA Cup game against Cardiff City.
“Sadio is not back yet,” Klopp said. “We said it’s such a big thing for Senegal and we didn’t want to stress anywhere there by bringing Sadio back. I think it will be tonight he is back.
“Hendo has a little bit of a back problem from the last game and Sadio is not here. But these are not long-term. It’s not important who is playing, it’s how we’re playing.”
Liverpool, who will face Chelsea in the final of the League Cup this month, remain in contention to win four tournaments this season, but Klopp was quick to temper talk of a potential clean sweep of honours.
“It’s not very likely (to win all four) but we are not here today to know what will happen in May,” Klopp said.
“We want to squeeze everything out of this season. We still have to accept we may not get everything as a reward.”
Liverpool are second in the league standings on 48 points, 22 ahead of 10th-placed Leicester, who have two games in hand.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
