Liverpool play without their brain

Jurgen Klopp will hope his men have enough firepower to see off the plucky Italians, but the manager will have to do so without his trusted lieutenant.

Klopp gathered his players on Sunday morning to inform them that Zeljko Buvac, his long-term confidant dubbed ‘The Brain’, would be absent for the rest of the season, owing to a ‘private matter’.

The club will be desperately hoping to make their first Champions League showpiece since 2007, with either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich set to be their opponent.

Midfielder Adam Lallana has been included in Liverpool’s 23-man travelling squad for their Champions League semi-final second leg with Roma despite a hamstring injury.

The England international has been out since suffering a hamstring injury at Crystal Palace in March but could still feature again this season after travelling to South Africa last month for treatment.

Defender Joe Gomez will not be involved in Italy after picking up an ankle problem in the Reds’ 0-0 draw with Stoke on Saturday.

Sadio Mane, who missed the game against the Potters, has been named in Jurgen Klopp’s squad, as have Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, both of whom had minor fitness concerns after playing at the weekend.

The Reds gave themselves every chance last week to make the final in Kiev with the emphatic win during a magical night on Merseyside.

Fan trouble, however, marred what was otherwise a perfect night for Klopp and his men.