Caoimhin Kelleher, the No. 2 goalkeeper at Liverpool FC, registered a clean sheet against LASK Linz on Thursday night in UEFA Europa League play. The Irishman stepped in while No. 1 Alisson Becker was recovering from a thigh muscle injury.
This will be the case again on Sunday, when Liverpool host Fulham FC, as Alisson remains out injured. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp says Kelleher is totally prepared to handle the role.
Liverpool FC vs Fulham FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Dec 3, 2pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool, UK
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Preview Content: Team News for Both Sides Liverpool Starting XI Prediction
PL Standing, Form: Liverpool FC 3rd, 28 pts DWDWW Fulham 14th, 15 pts WLLDL
Google Result Probability: Liverpool FC 77% Draw 14% Fulham 9%
“Yeah, no doubt [he’s prepared to be No. 1]. No doubt,” the German said.
“We see him every day in training. He is an exceptional, exceptional talent. Maybe we don’t mention his name often enough, but it is a John Achterberg thing. From day one when I am in, he told me this will be our homegrown boy who will make it. Since then, we see every step. He was a boy and now he’s a man. And yeah, top goalie, no doubt.”
Reports indicate that Alisson could be out for a couple more weeks, so Kelleher will need to hold down the fort in his stead. Klopp doesn’t see that as an issue.
“He is in general a focused person,” Klopp continued.
“You will not see him in a bar celebrating the clean sheet [against LASK]! That is not a problem. Caoimhin is prepared for that, he wants that now. We had discussions in the summer about it, obviously, but as long as we don’t have a solution we cannot loan players. He is homegrown and all these kind of things, so we have to make sure first and foremost, the first responsibility is we do the best for Liverpool and then we have to see how we can sort it.
“Now, obviously, for him it is the situation he didn’t want to have [Alisson Becker being injured] but obviously somehow, yes, because he wants opportunities, he wants to play and now he will get a few games, definitely. And I trust him.”
Here are the 10 guys we predict will line up in front of him on Sunday at Anfield against Fulham
Liverpool FC Starting XI Prediction vs Fulham
Caoimhin Kelleher; Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold; Alexis Mac Allister, Dominic Szoboszlai, Harvey Elliott; Mo Salah, Darwin Nuñez, Luis Diaz.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.