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Iraola on team fitness, 'mandatory' squad rotation and Chelsea

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Carabao Cup game against Chelsea at Anfield (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

  • He is "quite optimistic" Florian Wirtz will be available, but he won't know for sure until the squad train on Tuesday afternoon.

  • Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz are doubts with Iraola adding "it's going to be more difficult" to recover them in time to face Chelsea.

  • He said "there will definitely be changes" for the cup game but they still "want to be competitive" and progress to the quarter-final stage.

  • More on rotating his squad to deal with three competitions: "We need to see where the legs are and make some changes game-to-game because it's almost mandatory. We have a lot of options and we need to rotate."

  • He said they "have been unlucky" drawing Chelsea in the last 16, but regardless of the opponent they "want to be in the next round".

  • On whether he feels any pressure to deliver a trophy in his first season at the club: "Every competition is an opportunity, especially when you are the coach of Liverpool. You have to take it like this. I would love to win tomorrow and have the chance to go further in the competition, but I know we will have to play well and beat a very good team."

  • Iraola said it's not in their "team meeting or anything" like that to use Chelsea's ill-discipline to their advantage.

  • On Jayden Danns, who scored for the under-21s earlier this week: "He's building some good minutes and he scored the other day. He's in a good place. I hope he continues pushing and he progresses to fight for minutes."

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