Liverpool's two biggest stars in the team, Hang Endo and Mohamed Sana, will be temporarily absent from the team due to their involvement in the Asian Cup and African Cup of Nations. The departure is expected to last for almost a month. Before the EFL Cup match against Arsenal, Reds leader Jurgen Klopp revealed the news in a press conference and expressed his expectations for the two.
Klopp said bluntly: I would be lying if I said I wished them luck. I would prefer their national team to go out early in the group stage, as unlikely as that may seem. What I'm looking forward to is their safe return, and I'll figure out how to fill their shoes.
Hikaru Endo has been called up by the Japanese national team to play for the Asian Cup this time. Japan, as four-time champions of the Asian Cup and runners-up of the last edition, have extraordinary strength in Asian soccer. In this year's Asian Cup, they will be in a group with Indonesia, Iraq and Vietnam, which is highly competitive.
