MX23RW : Sunday, December 15 14:37:30| >> :60:1468:1468:
[monks data]
Attendance: 52,250
Liverpool logo
Champions League | Round of 16
Feb 19, 2019 at 8pm UK
 
Bayern logo

0-0

FT

Henderson backs Liverpool to cope in Van Dijk's absence against Bayern Munich

Henderson backs Liverpool to cope in Van Dijk's absence against Bayern Munich
© Reuters
Key man Van Dijk will be missing from the Reds' defence for the Champions League last-16 first leg as he serves a one-match suspension.

Jordan Henderson has backed Liverpool to cope in Virgil Van Dijk's absence when they host Bayern Munich on Tuesday – and declared himself ready to play at centre-back if asked.

Key man Van Dijk will be missing from the Reds' defence for the Champions League last-16 first leg as he serves a one-match suspension.

Dejan Lovren (hamstring) is a doubt while Joe Gomez (broken leg) is sidelined, and boss Jurgen Klopp may deploy midfielder Fabinho alongside Joel Matip in central defence.

Reds captain Henderson said of Van Dijk on Monday: "Of course, he is a massive miss. I think you can see how important he is for us as a team.

"But at the same time I feel as though we have enough quality in the team to be able to cope with it tomorrow night.

"And it is not just relying on our two centre-halves to defend – it is up to the whole team to defend really, and we do it together.

"So whoever plays there, I am sure they will know the role and what's expected of them."

The England midfielder, who filled in at right-back in Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Leicester on January 30, was then asked if he would be confident to play as a central defender if called upon to do so.

And Henderson said: "Yes. Obviously I would give it everything, and I would be ready.

"When I spoke to the manager about playing full-back, it wasn't really a question of 'could I play there'? It was a question of 'would I be confident and ready to be able to play there'? And I said 'of course'.

"Whether it's centre-half, right-back, anywhere on the pitch – wherever I'm asked to play, I'll always be ready to play football and give everything for the team."

Liverpool – currently second in the Premier League, behind Manchester City on goal difference with a game in hand – were beaten in last season's Champions League final by Real Madrid, who had defeated Bayern in the semi-finals.

Henderson added: "They (Bayern) are a world-class team and we know it will be tough, but we are confident that if we can play the way we know we can, we can cause them problems.

"I think the amount of big games – especially in the Champions League – we played last year can only help us going into this one.

"It's not about favouring one competition.

"We feel as though we have got a good enough squad to be able to challenge in both competitions (the Premier League and the Champions League) as best we can and hopefully at the end of the season we can say we are champions of at least one, if not both."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Phil Medlicott, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'c80eaa78-5882-45de-8de6-2af2f6639a32');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Henderson backs Liverpool to cope in Van Dijk\u2019s absence against Bayern Munich'});

ID:350735: cacheID:350735:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5405:
Written by
P A
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp watches on during his side's draw with West Ham United on February 4, 2019
Read Next:
Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool fans would prefer Premier League title to European glory
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Chiefs
@
Browns
6pm
Ravens
@
Giants
6pm
Jets
@
Jags
6pm
Cowboys
@
Panthers
6pm
Washington
@
Saints
6pm
Dolphins
@
Texans
6pm
Bengals
@
Titans
9.25pm
Colts
@
Broncos
9.25pm
Patriots
@
Cardinals
9.25pm
Buccaneers
@
Chargers
9.25pm
Steelers
@
Eagles
9.25pm
Bills
@
Lions
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool660018
2Barcelona650115
3B. Leverkusen641113
4Inter Milan641113
5Brest641113
6Arsenal641113
7Aston Villa641113
8Lille641113
9Bayern640212
10Dortmund640212
11Atletico640212
12AC Milan640212
13Atalanta632111
14Juventus632111
15Benfica631210
16Feyenoord631210
17Brugge631210
18Monaco631210
19Sporting Lisbon631210
20Real Madrid63039
21Celtic62319
22Man City62228
23PSV62228
24Dinamo Zagreb62228
25PSG62137
26Stuttgart62137
27Shakhtar61144
28Sparta Prague61144
29Sturm Graz61053
30Girona61053
31Red Star61053
32Salzburg61053
33Bologna60242
34RB Leipzig60060
35Slovan Bratislava60060
36Young Boys60060


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!