Refusing To Play For Greece, Liverpool Defender Kostas Tsimikas Is Ready To Face Man. City

Defender Kostas Tsimikas is ready to strengthen Liverpool against Manchester City. (Twitter @LFC)

JAKARTA - Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, cannot breathe a sigh of relief. Defender Kostas Tsimikas refuses to defend Greece.

In fact, he is ready to play when Liverpool plays Manchester City in the English Premier League big match at the Etihad Stadium, Saturday, November 25 2023, at 18.30 WIB.

Tsimikas raised question marks when he missed the final match of the Euro 2024 qualifiers against France which ended in a 2-2 draw.

The reason is, he even defended Greece in the trial match against Finland. In that match, Greece won 2-0.

However, in the match that determined Greece's fate whether they automatically qualify for Germany or not, Tsimikas was absent. Liverpool are starting to worry that he will suffer an injury against Finland.

If he is absent due to injury, Liverpool will be in trouble. The reason is, Klopp has lost defender Andrew Robertson, who injured his shoulder and had to undergo surgery. Due to his injury, Robertson was only able to return to play in the second round of the competition.

Tsimikas then became Klopp's first choice to replace Robertson. Meanwhile, Joe Gomez was the back-up and Luke Chambers, who was still 19, was only played in emergency situations.

However, Tsimikas explained that he was in fit condition. This 27-year-old defender was absent against France because he had two yellow cards.

If he was given another yellow card against Les Bleus, he would miss the crucial playoff match.

Greece, which was finally ranked third in Group B, will play a playoff to get a ticket to Germany. Meanwhile, the Netherlands finally accompanied France to qualify automatically.

"I don't need to play against France because if I get another yellow card, I will miss the March 2024 match (playoffs). This match is much more important than against France," said Tsimikas.

"I also decided to come back early because we will play in the afternoon (local time). Sometimes there are players who only arrive a day or two before the match. I think it's better for me to arrive early and train hard at the club," he said.

Tsimikas will quickly return to the club. Now, Liverpool is still waiting for the arrival of players from South America.

There are Luis Diaz (Colombia), Darwin Nunez (Uruguay), Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina), and goalkeeper Alisson Becker (Brazil) who are strengthening their respective national teams in the 2026 World Cup Qualification Conmebol Zone.

Klopp hopes they will return quickly because they are preparing to face Manchester City.

The big match at the Etihad will determine the position of the two teams. If they win, Manchester City, which currently has 28 points, will become stronger at the top of the standings.

If Liverpool win, they will certainly take the top position. The reason is, the Reds are only one point away.