Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has given updates over the potential availability of captain Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho ahead of his side's League Cup clash against Southampton on Wednesday.
The Reds registered a nervy 1-0 win over Swansea City on Sunday, with vice-captain James Milner slotting home the winner from the penalty spot.
Both Henderson and Sturridge came on in the second half of the win against the Welsh outfit, and despite coming out of the match without any problems, Klopp is unlikely to start either of them against the Saints as the match has the potential to span 120 minutes.
According to the German manager, the duo are not yet ready to compete for 120 minutes of football and the risk of going into a cup clash knowing that two of the players need to be substituted is not one Klopp is willing to take.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Klopp said: “They have had no physical reaction. It’s good news and they did their job.
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“That was good and important for us. They helped us keep the result, which was not easy, especially for Jordan in his position.
“Now the problem with the Southampton game is we cannot ignore that it could be extra-time. I’m sure 120 minutes would be too much for both.
“We don’t have to think about starting, we cannot go into a game and know we have to change these two players for sure.
"But if nothing happens from now until the plane has started, they’ll join us and be in the squad and we again have these two options.”
The former Borussia Dortmund manager remained coy though over the availability of in-form midfielder Coutinho and insisted that any decision regarding the involvement of the Brazilian will be made after the end of Tuesday's training.
“I cannot make decisions in this moment because we have another training [session] today.
“At the end, we have to talk about everything again with the medical department and talk to Phil. It will be close, possible, but we have to check and double check the situation and then we’ll make a decision.
"We have to wait.”
A win against Southampton would see the Reds qualify for the final four of the competition and coming on the back of six wins out of their last seven encounters, the momentum is with Klopp’s men.
