Klopp urges Liverpool to keep pressure on in top four battle
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that fans’ favourite Roberto Firmino will be available to bid farewell to the Anfield crowd during Saturday’s clash with Aston Villa. Firmino is set to depart after nine trophy-laden years with the Premier League club.
Fans have been hoping to give the Brazilian, who has missed large parts of the season, a final send-off in his last home game. Firmino has not played since the Reds’ 6-1 thrashing of Leeds on April 17, leaving some supporters wondering if they had seen the forward for the final time.
The 31-year-old was part of the travelling squad that beat Leicester 3-0 on Monday night but did not even feature on the bench. After the full-time whistle, Firmino was seen walking over to the travelling supporters and was serenaded by those in the away end.
However, Klopp has hinted that Firmino could be part of the squad that faces Villa next Saturday. It is a major boost to the supporters who want to say goodbye to a player who has played a key role in the success under the German.
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Asked about Firmino’s availability for Liverpool’s next game, Klopp said: “I think so. So, we drive home, tomorrow will be a day off – not for him but for the others – and then Wednesday team training he will be in, that’s my information.
“So, now we have to see because the Saturday game is a super-difficult game for plenty of reasons. Probably a farewell around the game for a few players and then playing for absolutely everything against [the] second or third-best team in the Premier League in the second part of the season.
“That’s super-challenging, so we have to see. In the middle of everything, we have to win the game, we have to go for it. But around that, we want to show really the respect and appreciation and the love we feel for not only Bobby but Bobby as well, all the boys who will leave in the summer.
“So, it will be a special day with a difficult game in between or around whatever. We have to make sure that we can do both.”
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Liverpool boosted their chances of qualifying for the Champions League with a thumping win over struggling Leicester. A brace by Curtis Jones and a stunning Trent Alexander-Arnold strike leaves the Reds a point off third- and fourth-placed Newcastle and Manchester United.
“Our job is to keep the pressure [on Newcastle and Man Utd], but if not this is already better than we could have expected six or seven weeks ago,” Klopp added.
“I have no clue what it means to us. Four or five years ago we had Chelsea on our neck and they were winning all the time. I think it was the year we finished fourth and had to go in the qualification.”
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