Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp’s Reds Ready For An Important Week in UCL and the EPL

Dejan Lovren is a doubt for Liverpool’s Champions League game, and Virgil van Dijk is suspended. Klopp suggested to the media he is preparing for a game plan without Lovren.

"I don’t want to rule it out but I cannot really plan with it. He is not here for good reasons, because he cannot be part of training. We are back on Friday. Then from Saturday on, Dejan is back at Melwood and we will see. But, of course, we have to prepare it differently. If Dejan gives a sign on Monday – ‘I feel brilliant’ – then we’d have to think anew. But in the moment we prepare the game and in this preparation Dejan is not involved. We have to find other solutions. via liverpoolfc.com"

Bayern Munich finds themselves in unfamiliar territory, they trail Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund by five points. Niko Kovac’s team is unbeaten in their last five games, but they have not kept a clean sheet in that period. Bayern has injury concerns of their own. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is in a race to be fit for the Anfield clash. Kovac spoke to the media and gave an update on his club captain.

"We’ll see how it goes against Ausgburg with a view to the Liverpool game. We have to take it one step at a time, we can’t take any risks. We don’t want to make things worse. We won’t play him until he says he’s ready and the doctors are happy. via bundesliga.com"

The German champions have two in-form players. Leading scorer Robert Lewandowski has netted 13 times in the league, he’s also had a direct hand in seven assists, while Joshua Kimmich has been productive with nine assists, a league leader.

The Champions League can be a distraction for title challengers, especially at this time of the season. It’s not the Liverpool way to play down European nights, and the Anfield crowd will expect a big performance. A Liverpool win and a clean bill of health will be the ideal scenario for Klopp.