Jurgen Klopp is ready to ring the changes as Liverpool prepare to face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has praised Simon Mignolet after confirming the goalkeeper will play in Wednesday's Carabao Cup third-round clash with Chelsea at Anfield.
Klopp said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday: "The only position I will confirm today is Simon - Simon will start. All the rest, you have to wait until tomorrow. But it will be a good team, believe me."
The manager was then asked how Mignolet had been after a move away from the club did not materialise for him over the summer.
And Klopp said: "He has been brilliant. It was as you can imagine - transfer window time is one of two moments in the year when you can make decisions about going somewhere and, yes, Simon would have been ready to go to another club, to be the number one, wherever in the world. That was clear.
"But we couldn't do it, and since then he has been brilliant. He trains fantastic. It's all good and he deserves that game absolutely tomorrow. I'm really happy to give him that opportunity."
Klopp added: "We are really competitive. We really want to win that game. I have to make decisions and I will make decisions and it will be a really strong side.
"I will not name a number of changes. It will not be the maximum and it will not be the minimum. One I have already confirmed, so it cannot be nil, and it will for sure not be 11."
Klopp said of Reds defender Virgil van Dijk, who came off in Saturday's 3-0 Premier League win over Southampton due to a rib issue: "He is much better.
"It is painful, nothing else. So we will see how we deal with that. It's not too serious, but it's not nothing, so that needs to settle for sure. We'll see how he comes here today and will make a decision about him."
Wednesday's game could see Dejan Lovren join Mignolet in making a first appearance of the season, with Klopp saying the Croatia defender, who returned from the World Cup with an injury, "looks ready."
It appears Adam Lallana (groin) will not be involved, and Divock Origi (ankle) remains unavailable.
Klopp also expressed his admiration for Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri ahead of facing the Blues twice this week, with the cup tie being followed by Saturday's league clash at Stamford Bridge.
Following Sarri's appointment over the summer, Chelsea have taken 16 points from a possible 18 in the Premier League so far this term - two fewer than Liverpool.
When asked about Sarri, Klopp said: "It is the biggest change I ever saw in such a short period of time, of system. Wow. Style completely (different). What a manager he is, to be honest.
"I'm pretty much a supporter of him since I saw them playing at Naples (Sarri's Napoli team). Outstanding football, and now doing it in a very interrupted pre-season, without a lot of players involved, starting the season, and you see immediately the impact - all my respect. It's really good to watch. Good job so far.
"I know that people always were talking, and I don't know exactly why about (clubs) being champions at the end of the season, whatever, and completely forgot Chelsea.
"This team is experienced. They won the title already - I'm not sure, but 80 per cent of them probably won it twice, and they know how it works. So that's a really good group, a really strong football team."