Liverpool will have “100 percent” of Shrewsbury’s respect irrespective of who lines up at Anfield on Sunday amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
With an indeterminable amount of Covid cases within the Liverpool camp, predicting who can lineup for the Reds is near impossible for both the fans and the opposition for the FA Cup tie.
It is anticipated that Liverpool will need to call upon a host of youngsters to fulfil the fixture after a wave of positive cases that forced the postponement of the League Cup semi-final first leg.
But with little to no information currently shared by the club, it is a stab in the dark as to who may be able to play, but Shrewsbury manager Steve Cotterill knows Jurgen Klopp is “entitled to play whichever team he sees fit.”
“We can all think about what team we’re going to play against and none of us will get it right, the only person who will know is Jurgen Klopp and his staff,” Cotterill told reporters.
“He’s entitled to play whichever team he sees fit and they will get absolutely the full respect, whether it ends up being the first-team player or one of their younger lads who they bring into the game.
“If you’re signed for Liverpool, you’re going to be a good player so whatever team they play, they will get 100 percent respect from us.”
It’s a refreshing outlook after eyebrow-raising reactions to Liverpool’s outbreak, with Shrewsbury simply ready to make the most of the occasion at the home of a “magnificent football club.”
“We know we’re going to go to Liverpool and it’s going to be a full house, a brilliant ground, a brilliant football club, with a brilliant team and a brilliant set of supporters,” Cotterill continued.
“It’s going to be one of those occasions for our lads that they will never forget.
“We’ve worked our way through a couple of really difficult cup ties in the earlier rounds to have earned the opportunity to play against one of the world’s biggest clubs.
“The support – when they sing You’ll Never Walk Alone – if that doesn’t get the hairs on the back of your neck up, nothing will. It’s just a magnificent football club.”
Cotterill knows what it’s like to taste victory over Liverpool as a player, with Wimbledon in 1993, and as a manager, with Burnley in 2005, but it’s no time to make it three success stories.
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