El 1st Leg - Augsburg Away

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Unavailable:
First team: Allen, Lovren and Lallana (injured); Flanagan (not in the EL squad)
Reserves: Smith (injured); Stewart (not in the EL squad)

Ideally, we'll settle this tie in the first leg so we can rest some players for the 2nd leg at Anfield.

Think we'll field the same team that played against Villa, except for Skrtel starting in Toure's place:

starters: Mignolet, Clyne, Moreno, Skrtel, Sakho, Henderson, Can, Milner, Firmino, Coutinho, Sturridge
subs: Ward, Toure, Randall, Lucas, Ibe, Origi, Benteke

The starters will need to do the job for us because the bench looks rather uninspiring.

 

[Frogfish]

That's being a little presumptuous - thinking (hoping) we can settle this in the first leg. Weren't Augsburg on some long unbeaten run just a little while back ?

I'll be happy if we come away with a draw and can finish it at Anfield. Ecstatic if we can win over there with what I expect will not be a full strength side, though injuries may force our hand more than Klopp would like.

We have 4 games in 10 days, including the LC Final just 3 days after the return Augsburg match. I doubt we'll be seeing our strongest team out for this one, we must save them for City and potential Silverware. Therefore I think Coutinho & Sturridge might be saved and maybe just come on for the last 30-40 mins to get a little bit more game time under their belts.

A quick check on Physioroom and it seems 28th Feb is the earliest return date given for Skrtel, with Lucas (no date given), Lallana (no date given), Allen and Rossiter all the same or later. Meaning I needed to amend the team I originally listed below.

.......................... Mignolet

Clyne ........ Toure .......... Sakho ..... Moreno (not much choice with the back 5)

Henderson .......... Can .............. Milner


Ibe ................. Benteke .............. Origi

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

That's being more than a little presumptuous - thinking we can settle this in the first leg. Weren't Augsburg on some long unbeaten run just a little while back ?

How am I being presumptuous by simply stating what would be the ideal situation for us?

Anyway, we've got a free weekend after this before the 2nd leg in the middle of next week and final next weekend. If we play our best players and setup this week, it gives us the best chance of being in a good position so that we can rest Sturridge next week and keep him fresh for the final action.

 

[Frogfish]

How am I being presumptuous by simply stating what would be the ideal situation for us?

Anyway, we've got a free weekend after this before the 2nd leg in the middle of next week and final next weekend. If we play our best players and setup this week, it gives us the best chance of being in a good position so that we can rest Sturridge next week and keep him fresh for the final action.

I did amend that to 'hoping', though stating the 'ideal' is rather obvious isn't it ! 'Ideally' we'll win 0-5 😀

I also mixed up the dates, thinking this was a run of 4 in 10 for us, when it's not and we do get a week's rest after this - excellent !

I still wouldn't want to play Coutinho, Sturridge from the off, coming on at 50-60 mins would continue their reintegration at a nice pace. Or start them, like you suggested, and pull them off at 50-60 mins. Either works for me.

 

[Jack D Rips]

In truth you made a bit of a balls of this one Froggy.

 

[Dreambeliever]

With loads of rest after this game for the first time in months we should play our strongest side

 

[Buddha]

Yep, go all out for a strong performance and away goals in the first leg and then rest up for a week and plan 2nd leg / cc final thereafter.

 

[Aidan O' Neill]

Yep, go all out for a strong performance and away goals in the first leg and then rest up for a week and plan 2nd leg / cc final thereafter.

Yep. This is what I'd do. We have no game at the weekend. If we can get a decent result, we can take it from there. The EL could end up becoming very important.

 

[Hansern]

We dont play this weekend so yeah, field a strong team. Not sure if its wise to play both Sturridge and Coutinho so close to Sunday.
But I'd like to see Origi start.

Ming
Clyne Caulker Sakho Moreno

Henderson Can Milner

Firmino Ibe

Origi

 

[Frogfish]

In truth you made a bit of a balls of this one Froggy.

I totally did. FUBAR. I hang my head in shame. 🙁

Apologies to Hamstrung Pigeon too !

 

[Mersey86]

We have 4 games in 10 days, including the LC Final just 3 days after the return Augsburg match.

No game this weekend, so Augsburg*2 + City in LC Final = 3 games in 10 days.

 

[Mersey86]

Physioroom has Lovren back for tomorrow.

 

[Jack D Rips]

https://t.co/bOXWn8GUJq

Its a link to a video from training tonight. Sorry I don't know how to actually put the video up. 🙁

 

[Modo]

 

[Modo]

https://t.co/bOXWn8GUJq

Its a link to a video from training tonight. Sorry I don't know how to actually put the video up. 🙁

 

[Glen C]

Augsburg are currently 5th from bottom in the bundesliga having only won 5, drawn 6 and lost 10. There's no reason why we can't play a full strength team and end this tonight and play a weakened for the 2nd leg. Would be good if we could rest our main players for the carling cup final.

 

[Jack D Rips]

Why is the home leg kicking off at 6pm?

 

[#roadred]

Here's 4 minutes of people jogging, stretching and tapping balls about.

 

[hmmmmm1]

£££££££££££££

 

[Athens]

Why is the home leg kicking off at 6pm?

You think if it was for tv slots, they would do it like the Americans with the eastern time zones starting earlier and the western time zones kicking off later so they could squeeze in more matches over the evening.

Although the Americans usually do that at the weekend, don't they?

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Here's 4 minutes of people jogging, stretching and tapping balls about.

Oops, looks like Skrtel didn't travel; thought he was ready for this game as he appeared in the last training pics. So I suppose it's back to Toure - Sakho at the back, unless Klopp trusts Caulker to play this game with so few minutes of action previously. Don't feel comfortable with any CB pairing from the lot that traveled but thankfully Augsburg aren't prolific scorers (23 goals in 21 league games) so we might get away with it if we're lucky.

 

[tombrown]

 

[Mystic]

"Kloppo" 🤢

 

[Frogfish]

Oops, looks like Skrtel didn't travel; thought he was ready for this game as he appeared in the last training pics. So I suppose it's back to Toure - Sakho at the back, unless Klopp trusts Caulker to play this game with so few minutes of action previously. Don't feel comfortable with any CB pairing from the lot that traveled but thankfully Augsburg aren't prolific scorers (23 goals in 21 league games) so we might get away with it if we're lucky.

Physioroom gave 28th Feb. as his return date - so unless he is ahead of schedule he'll be unlikely to make the LC Final too.

 

[TSD]

Here's 4 minutes of people jogging, stretching and tapping balls about.

Seeing Sturridge on the ground left me cold momentarily.

 

[gkmacca]

Why is the home leg kicking off at 6pm?

Because Spurs are kicking off later on, and the two matches are sold as a 'block' of viewing time, so one has to follow the other.

 

[Modo]

 

[Modo]

rumoured line up:

Mignolet, Clyne, Caulker, Sakho, Moreno, Can, Hendo, Milner, Firmy, Coutinho, Sturridge

 

[manwithnoname]

rumoured line up:

Mignolet, Clyne, Caulker, Sakho, Moreno, Can, Hendo, Milner, Firmy, Coutinho, Sturridge

That's the team I probably would have picked, although Sakho and Kolo are interchangeable. I may have even dropped Coutinho back into midfield and played Benteke, but not sure who I would drop from Can. Henderson and Milner to allow that. Anyway, can't complain about his team selection if we get beat

 

[Aidan O' Neill]

Strong team.