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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp drops early team news hint for Man City Community Shield clash
LIVERPOOL boss Jurgen Klopp has hinted that he won’t risk his big stars against Manchester City when they clash for the Community Shield at Wembley.
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Klopp has suggested that the likes of Alisson, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane may not be part of his plans ahead of Sunday’s clash with City.
Egypt international Salah as well as Brazilian duo Firmino and Alisson rejoined the squad on Monday ahead of a training camp in Evian this week after being given time off to play for their national teams in summer competitions.
Mane is expected to come back next Monday after competing in the Africa Cup of Nations final with Senegal.
Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri have also returned to full training after nursing injuries while playing for Guinea and Switzerland respectively.
We cannot risk any players
Klopp said: “We cannot risk any players.
“We have to see who will be able to line-up and who will train and who will play.”
Klopp is reportedly set to stick with that decision even if it means a knock to the confidence for Liverpool ahead of their opening Premier League fixture on August 9.
The Reds enjoyed an impressive campaign last season as they won the Champions League, which was the team’s first piece of silverware since the German manager took over in 2015.
However, the Reds couldn’t overcome Manchester City for the Premier League title even though they only lost one match in the entire season.
Klopp, though, has a good track record in pre-season openers against City boss Pep Guardiola.
As Borussia Dortmund boss the German faced and beat Guardiola twice for the German Super Cup when the Spaniard managed Bayern Munich.
Klopp added: “In Germany I won it five times but nobody mentions it.
“We played every year.
“The Super Cup – you win it, nobody cares, you lose it and some care.”