Liverpool’s head coach, Arne Slot described the shock on Saturday with Southampton as the “first of the three finals” that his team will play in the coming week.
Liverpool will welcome the Ivan Jurić team in the Premier League this weekend before welcoming Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening in Anfield in Anfield in the Champions League, after beating the French Champions 1-0 during the first leg of their 16-year-old match.
The Slot team will then go to Wembley on March 16 where they will face Newcastle United in the final of the Carabao Cup. Liverpool is 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League while Southampton is at the bottom of the table after taking nine points from its 27 championship games this quarter.
However, Slot highlighted the importance of his players and fans at their best Saturday afternoon.
“My goal is now on Southampton,” he said on Friday at a press conference. “This is the first of the three finals to play in the coming week. For me, Southampton’s game is by far the most important of the week, not only because it is the first we play, but because it is a very important game for us.”
He added: “It’s a week to hope for each fan of Liverpool. We know that the final is there and that everyone already talks to me about how the atmosphere will be during an evening in the Champions League, but I really hope that our fans will be their strongest tomorrow, not in the final or against PSG, but tomorrow.
“I have to convince my players that we play three finals, and I hope I influence our fans a little, so they understand how important they will be tomorrow. I hope they will not come in five minutes before kick -off.
“I hope that the stadium is completely filled with half an hour before kick-off and the players get their reward for their performance in Paris, for having worked so hard. Fans have superb songs (for the players). They are really creative, so let’s listen to them tomorrow.”
Liverpool must wait to find out if Cody Agat is able to face Southampton after the Dutch international missed the shock of Wednesday at the Parc des Princes by injury.
“He did not train yesterday, so let’s see if he can train today,” said Slot. “It’s a tight call. It is not a long -term injury, but he still had a little pain yesterday, so let’s see how he is today.”
