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Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool will not go to Leicester with 'white flag'

Jurgen Klopp during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium
Image: Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool have the strength in depth to deal with a Carabao Cup run, for now

Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool will not go to Leicester with "a white flag" as he has the squad to cope in the Carabao Cup.

Liverpool face the added pressure of a potentially lucrative run in the Champions League this season, having returned to the competition for the first time in three years following their fourth-placed finish in the Premier League.

Live Carabao Cup

Klopp is adamant he has the personnel for a Carabao Cup campaign, though, making seven changes to the side that faced Burnley last weekend ahead of their trip to the King Power Stadium on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports Premier League.

"From today's perspective, yes - we will see how it is in January," Klopp said, when asked if Liverpool can deal with multiple competitions.

"What is my alternative? To go to Leicester with a white flag? Or say, 'If you want to go to the semi-finals in January, then do it because we don't want to be part of it'?

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Liverpool finished runners-up in the league cup in Klopp's first season in charge at Anfield and were knocked out at the semi-final stage by Southampton in January this year.

Klopp maintains he has fielded strong sides in the competition whenever possible, and will not be changing his approach this time around - as long as it does not impact on their other endeavours.

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"We had a few line-ups and everything was good in the last few years when we went through this competition in different games and then, at one point, we didn't have the opportunity to line up the strongest side and [people said I did not] respect the cup competitions," Klopp added.

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Klopp insists he is unfazed by the Manchester clubs' strong start to the season

"That's obviously not so nice. In this moment, we have the players for it and I think the squad is wide enough to play in different competitions and to come as far as possible and that's the plan at the moment.

"We are really there to win the game. It will be difficult enough but this competition is good. The final was good when we played there, the semi-final last year with Southampton [came at] the wrongest possible moment but we couldn't change that.

"We will see how it is in January but, in this moment, I feel quite comfortable when I think about different opportunities to use the players and to bring the players in different games."

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