Klopp quashes Conte's recovery complaints

Ahead of the crunch tie against Chelsea, Jurgen Klopp believes scheduling has not given Liverpool the upper hand.

Published : Nov 25, 2017 11:05 IST

Jurgen Klopp rejected Antonio Conte's claims Liverpool has gained an unfair scheduling advantage before its Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp rejected Antonio Conte's claims Liverpool has gained an unfair scheduling advantage before its Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday.
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Jurgen Klopp rejected Antonio Conte's claims Liverpool has gained an unfair scheduling advantage before its Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp rejected Antonio Conte's claims Liverpool has gained an unfair scheduling advantage before its Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday.

Chelsea head-coach Conte lamented the fact Liverpool had a day more to prepare, while his side made an 8,000 km round trip to Azerbaijan, following its respective Champions League fixtures.

 

Although Klopp stated he understood the difficulty of Conte's predicament, he said the difference in preparation time would not be impactful when the two face each other at Anfield.

Read: Conte calls for clarity from Chelsea over Courtois deal

"I really get what Antonio is talking about, I heard about it, but maybe he forgot they had the best Christmas schedule last year," Klopp said.

"Everyone played every two days and they had 12 days to play three games. It is the same situation this year and I don't know how the Premier League will explain it.

"I really think recovery for a team is important and he is right, but it will not have an influence on this game. Maybe the next one, that is possible."

Although Liverpool has not seen defeat since last month's 4-1 hammering at the hands of Tottenham, its defensive struggles once again came to the fore midweek, surrendering a three-goal lead in Tuesday's 3-3 Champions League draw with Sevilla .

Saturday's clash with Chelsea could prove pivotal in Liverpool's hopes for a Champions League spot next season, but Klopp maintained his side does not have the upper hand.

"Now they [Chelsea] are already back, they flew back to London and have two days to recover and that is a normal situation," he said.

"Three days is never a problem, two days is a big problem but obviously nobody wants to hear that."

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