Liverpool to recall quintet v Roma as Clyne gives Klopp a lift

Liverpool defender Nathaniel Clyne is back in training but is likely to be on the bench for the Champions League semi-final first leg at home to Roma.

The England international missed Saturday’s draw against West Brom with a muscle injury but has now recovered, although Trent Alexander-Arnold – rested at The Hawthorns – is expected to start against the Italians.

Manager Jurgen Klopp will recall all his big names after making five changes at the weekend, meaning a return for the likes of Dejan Lovren, Andrew Robertson, Roberto Firmino and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

This is a semi-final which few predicted at the quarter-final stage.

Liverpool overcame runaway Premier League champions Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate, having laid the foundations with a stunning 3-0 win at Anfield, while Roma sprang an even greater surprise by overturning a 4-1 deficit to eliminate Barcelona on away goals with a 3-0 second-leg victory.

Not that Jurgen Klopp entertains the underdogs tag.

“I am really not interested in what people think,” he said.

“But I do understand probably a lot of people would have thought this semi-final would be Barcelona v Manchester City – but it is not because it is football.

“I came up the stairs at Manchester City and someone told me Roma won 3-0. I thought in a second ‘Not possible’, because the opponents were Barcelona.

“We did something similar at City. They played an outstanding season but in these two games we deserved to win. Maybe our situations is similar.

“We both have the chance to go the final and that is all I need. People talk about pressure or once-in-a-lifetime chance. It is not like that.

“If anyone thinks we two are underdogs, who cares? We are in the semi-final and we can go to the final. That is all I care about.”

You can follow the build-up to the game, getting our preview and betting odds via our Live Centre.

Liverpool squad from: Karius, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Milner, Salah, Firmino, Mane, Mignolet, Gomez, Clyne, Klavan, Moreno, Wijnaldum, Woodburn, Solanke, Ings.

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