LIVERPOOL, May 6: Liverpool will be without top scorer Mohamed Salah for Tuesday�s Champions League semifinal, second leg against Barcelona after manager Jurgen Klopp revealed he was concussed in a 3-2 win at Newcastle.
The Egyptian was stretchered off at St James� Park on Saturday due to a head knock sustained as he challenged Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka for a high ball.
�It�s a concussion so that means he would not even be allowed to play. So that�s it,� said Klopp at his pre-match press conference on Monday.
�He feels OK but it is not good enough from a medical point of view that is all. He�s desperate (to play) everything but we cannot do it.�
Klopp will also be without Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino due to a groin injury as his side face the huge challenge of trying to overturn a 3-0 first leg deficit to make the Champions League final for a second consecutive season.
�Two of the world�s best strikers are not available tomorrow night and we have to score four goals against Barcelona to go through after 90 minutes,� added Klopp.
�It doesn�t make life easier, but as long as we have 11 players on the pitch, we will try it.�
Liverpool have a rich history of stunning comebacks in European football, most famously lifting the Champions League in 2005 after trailing the final 3-0 to AC Milan at half-time.
In Klopp�s first season in charge in the quarterfinals of the Europa League in 2016, the Reds also came from 3-1 down in the final 25 minutes to beat his old side Borussia Dortmund 4-3.
However, the German coach is aware of the extra difficulty of not just scoring at least three against the Spanish champions, but also not conceding a vital away goal to the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez that would leave Liverpool needing to score five to progress.
�I imagine the place will be rocking even before we score to be honest, but we not only have to score, we have to deny Barcelona from scoring,� he added. � AFP
LIVERPOOL, May 6: Liverpool will be without top scorer Mohamed Salah for Tuesday�s Champions League semifinal, second leg against Barcelona after manager Jurgen Klopp revealed he was concussed in a 3-2 win at Newcastle.
The Egyptian was stretchered off at St James� Park on Saturday due to a head knock sustained as he challenged Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka for a high ball.
�It�s a concussion so that means he would not even be allowed to play. So that�s it,� said Klopp at his pre-match press conference on Monday.
�He feels OK but it is not good enough from a medical point of view that is all. He�s desperate (to play) everything but we cannot do it.�
Klopp will also be without Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino due to a groin injury as his side face the huge challenge of trying to overturn a 3-0 first leg deficit to make the Champions League final for a second consecutive season.
�Two of the world�s best strikers are not available tomorrow night and we have to score four goals against Barcelona to go through after 90 minutes,� added Klopp.
�It doesn�t make life easier, but as long as we have 11 players on the pitch, we will try it.�
Liverpool have a rich history of stunning comebacks in European football, most famously lifting the Champions League in 2005 after trailing the final 3-0 to AC Milan at half-time.
In Klopp�s first season in charge in the quarterfinals of the Europa League in 2016, the Reds also came from 3-1 down in the final 25 minutes to beat his old side Borussia Dortmund 4-3.
However, the German coach is aware of the extra difficulty of not just scoring at least three against the Spanish champions, but also not conceding a vital away goal to the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez that would leave Liverpool needing to score five to progress.
�I imagine the place will be rocking even before we score to be honest, but we not only have to score, we have to deny Barcelona from scoring,� he added. � AFP
