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Jurgen Klopp insists his side are taking the FA Cup seriously.
experimentation

Liverpool are expected to play a glorified U21 team in the FA Cup tonight

Meanwhile, coach Jurgen Klopp insists his side are taking the competition seriously.

Updated at 21.46

LIVERPOOL ARE EXPECTED to play a glorified U21 team in the FA Cup tonight, having suffered an injury crisis in recent days.

Times journalist Tony Barrett has tipped fringe players including Connor Randall, João Carlos Teixeira and Jerome Sinclair to start, as the Reds travel to St James Park to face League Two side Exeter in this evening’s third-round tie.

Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has questioned how seriously the FA Cup is taken in England and insists he regards it as a “big, big tournament”.

The German coach says he took the same approach to the DFB-Pokal while working for Borussia Dortmund and noted that he is renowned for his Bundesliga titles more than the league and cup double he achieved in 2012.

Klopp has a lengthy injury list to contend with ahead of the Reds’s clash against League Two side Exeter City but is keen to take a second shot at Wembley, with Liverpool also halfway through a League Cup semi-final.

“I think you don’t know too much about the importance of the DFB-Pokal because it’s a really big tournament in Germany,” he told reporters.

“When I came here everybody said ‘he’s German champion’ and nobody has spoken about the fact that we won the 2012 double.

“It’s the same when I said Arsenal won the last two FA Cups, but when I came here I only heard about [how] they didn’t win the league for… I don’t know how many years.

“But [the FA Cup is] a big, big tournament for sure.”

Klopp is set to throw some of his youngsters into the fray at St James’s Park, however, with 11 first-team players unavailable including new absentees Philippe Coutinho, Dejan Lovren and Kolo Toure.

“I said a few weeks ago you need a little bit of luck,” he added. ”And with injures we didn’t have to much of this, that’s the truth.

“We have to take the situation like it is and we have go to Exeter and I will be there for sure.”

When asked if he would take any players with him, Klopp joked: “Yeah, I’ll take a few players with me.”

Tony Barrett’s expected Liverpool starting XI: Adam Bogdan, Connor Randall, Tiago Ilori, José Enrique, Brad Smith, Kevin Stewart, Cameron Brannagan, Ryan Kent, João Carlos Teixeira, Sheyi Ojo, Jerome Sinclair.  

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