LONDON: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp emphasized that his team wants to win the Europa League and this is not the place to give opportunities to young players who have little action.
The Reds begin their European tournament campaign with a visit to Linz in Austria early tomorrow to take on LASK as many believe they will not be risking big stars such as Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai.
However, Klopp explained that he would not give privileges to the main team because young players such as Ben Doak and Jarell Quansah were knocking on the door of the main team.
Stars who have missed out on action including Harvey Elliott, Joe Gomez and Caoimhin Kelleher are also hoping to get minutes.
“We are here to compete. Not to give chances. I know we are an option but we are here to play football.
“We take this game seriously and we want to take full advantage. The stadium is attractive, it opened in February, we are not arrogant but we want to compete and win,” said Klopp.
Liverpool last played in the Europa League in the 2016 final – losing to Sevilla – but Klopp admitted the competition was ‘too great’ for his squad.