Team News: Liverpool in Germany for Champions League qualifier

Liverpool are in Germany tonight as they take on Hoffenheim in the first leg of their Champions League play-off. Jurgen Klopp's team are counting on Champions League qualification as part of their ambitions for the season ahead, but the Bundesliga side will not be easy opponents to overcome. 

The Premier League club are without Philippe Coutinho for the tie, officially due to a back injury, although many expect that the approaches of Barcelona are a major reason too. 

Roberto Firmino leads the line in an unchanged Liverpool side from the weekend, with the attacker returning to his former club. For Hoffenheim, Premier League fans will recognise the likes of former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry, former Leicester striker Andrej Kramaric and former West Ham midfielder Havard Nordtveit. 

The second leg of this Champions League play-off will be played at Anfield next Wednesday, which Liverpool hope they will be able to carry some away goals into. 

Hoffenheim: Baumann, Bicakcic, Vogt, Hubner, Kaderabek, Rupp, Demirbay, Zuber, Gnabry, Kramaric, Wagner.

Substitutes: Nordtveit, Toljan, Amiri, Uth, Szalai, Geiger, Kobel. 

Liverpool: Mignolet, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Lovren, Moreno, Can, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Salah, Firmino, Mane. 

Substitutes: Karius, Milner, Gomez, Grujic, Klavan, Origi, Solanke. 

 

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