Liverpool FC Team news vs Southampton FC: Matip to start, Henderson a doubt for EFL Cup tie

Liverpool host Southampton for the second leg of their EFL Cup tie tonight

Southampton head to Anfield with a one goal advantage having beaten the Reds 1-0 in the first-leg thanks to a goal from Nathan Redmond. Jurgen Klopp said after that game that the second leg would be a completely different game and that Liverpool would be looking for revenge.

Joel Matip is available again after being cleared to play for Liverpool by FIFA. The Cameroonian played 60 minutes for the U23s over the weekend and Jurgen Klopp will likely want to field his best defender as Liverpool cannot afford any slip-ups.

This means Ragnar Klavan will likely drop to the bench with Liverpool having their full defence available. Nathaniel Clyne played in the 3-2 defeat to Swansea and it is unclear if Jurgen Klopp will risk playing him again so soon, seeing as he only just returned from injury, but he will be in the squad.

Jordan Henderson is the only doubt for Liverpool after picking up another heel injury – he picked up one last year on his other foot – in the game against Swansea. Jurgen Klopp confirmed that Henderson was not running in training like the other players but that he had been exercising on a bike.

“It’s different, it’s similar but still different. We know much more from last year about it,” Klopp said, according to the club’s official website. “We don’t train a lot in this period between the games so instead of running one day, when the players who have played 90 minutes are running for recovery, he’s on the bike – that’s maybe the only difference with what we do with him.”

“The rest is how I said – you don’t use the phrase ‘bite on his teeth’ [grit his teeth]? You know what it means, it’s not the moment to feel nothing, he always feels a little bit, but he can cope with it.” When asked if he had any other injury concerns, the German simply said “No.”