INTERVIEW’We need to be ready’ – Kelleher on Palace preparation and Van Dijk respect

INTERVIEW’We need to be ready’ – Kelleher on Palace preparation and Van Dijk respect

Recovery will be key for Liverpool as they tackle a rapid turnaround between Premier League fixtures, explained Caoimhin Kelleher.

Sixty-three hours after wrapping up a 2-0 win away at Sheffield United, the Reds will be taking to the pitch again on the road, with kick-off against Crystal Palace on Saturday 12.30pm GMT at Selhurst Park.

“It’s a busy period for us but when we are winning games and we are in good form we just keep getting the games ticked off and keep trying to get the victories,” Kelleher told Liverpoolfc.com following the victory over the Blades on Wednesday night.

“We’ve got another tough away game on Saturday and we look forward to that.

“I always remember the games we have played there and it’s a difficult place to go. It’s an early kick-off as well so we need to focus on our recovery first and hopefully be ready to go at 12.30pm.

“They will be trying to bounce back [from a 2-0 defeat by AFC Bournemouth] and we need to be ready for that.

“The last few games have been quick turnarounds, to be fair, so I think we know how to deal with that, we’ve been there before so we just need to recover now and be ready to go on Saturday.”

Kelleher made his third consecutive start in goal when Jürgen Klopp’s side travelled to Bramall Lane, two of which have ended with clean sheets.


The shutout against Chris Wilder’s team was Liverpool’s first on the road in all competitions in 2023-24 – and Kelleher was pleased to help scrub that statistic.

“Obviously it’s satisfying for myself and all the defenders,” said the Republic of Ireland international.

“I think we knew that if we could come here and get a clean sheet then we would be hopefully able to nick a goal, and that’s what we did, so pleased with the clean sheet and hopefully we can get another win on Saturday.

“The change in manager for them [Sheffield United] gives them a boost and the fans a lift as well so we knew coming into the game it wasn’t going to be an easy game and it was going to be one of them we’ll have to play well, try to play as well as we can and maybe come away with a 1-0

“We scored in the last minute for 2-0 but we got the victory and move on.”

Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai provided the goals for the Reds on the night, with the former subsequently acknowledged as Player of the Match.


“He caught it so nicely,” Kelleher said of the captain and his first-half effort, fired in from a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner. “We all know he’s brilliant with his feet so it wasn’t a surprise to me that he finished it off.

“He is brilliant [as a leader], he always has been, even when he wasn’t captain. He talks you through the game, he is always positive and trying to help you, so he’s great to have there.”