Jurgen Klopp allayed fears over the fitness of captain Jordan Henderson for Liverpool's Champions League last-16 first-leg tie at Inter, a team he considers the best in Italy.
Henderson suffered a minor back issue playing against Cardiff City in the FA Cup, which ruled him out of the 2-0 win over Leicester City.
The skipper was back as the Reds defeated Burnley 1-0 on Sunday and took a knock on the knee against the Clarets.
However, Liverpool boss Klopp confirmed Henderson will be fit for a mouth-watering showdown with reigning Serie A champions Inter at San Siro on Wednesday.
"Hendo is fine, he got a knock on his knee, today was the second day of recovery for a lot of players," Klopp said.
"So, not the longest session for him, but apart from that no issues really.
"He was back last week, his knee in the game definitely was not comfortable. The wound you can really see it, it looks like lips, should not be there. Apart from that he's fine."
Klopp's side, who were Champions League winners in the 2018-19 season, won all six of their group-stage fixtures – including one at San Siro against Milan.
The German boss believes that record will count for little against a Nerazzurri side he holds in the highest regard.
"Top-class team, top-class players and manager – I think it's probably the best team in Italy again this season, you can see it in the table at the moment," Klopp added.
"Very well organised, well drilled, individual quality is big.
"That's the Champions League, top-class team, we have to show a top-class showing, but why shouldn't we try?
"Historically the results in the group stage in the knockout stage don't count, so no advantage [to winning all six group games].
"It was good when we did it, we didn't expect it, we didn't think there was a chance to do that. But it doesn't help now obviously, it just shows we're a good football team.
"In years before when we went to the final we had average group-stage results, came through pretty much on one wheel.
"It's game 51 for me in the Champions League [with Liverpool], we gained some experience in the competition, that's what we want to use."
Klopp is operating with a near fully fit squad, something that has not happened all too often during his time at Anfield.
He welcomed such a rarity, and the opportunity to keep his team fresh with five substitutes allowed in Champions League matches compared to the three permitted in the Premier League.
"It's absolutely a good situation to have, no doubt about that," he said.
"What's much more important is how we play rather than who is playing. But it's good we have different options for different situations.
"We need fresh legs, but it's good we have a chance to make five changes, it's good for football in a really tough period.
"The boys have to deal with it as well. If I have opportunities to make more changes that's how it is, it means we can't always use the same line-up. We never had it before, it's pretty exciting."
Italiano confirms Fiorentina exit after Atalanta victory
Vincenzo Italiano confirmed he is leaving Europa Conference League runners-up Fiorentina after they ended their Serie A campaign with a 3-2 win at Atalanta on Sunday.
Italiano took charge of Fiorentina in 2021 and has led them to three successive top-eight finishes in Serie A, also reaching the Europa Conference League final in back-to-back campaigns.
However, they were beaten by a last-gasp Jarrod Bowen goal as West Ham lifted the trophy last year, then lost out to Olympiacos in extra time in the 2023-24 final.
The Viola wrapped up their campaign with an impressive 3-2 win at Atalanta in a rescheduled fixture on Sunday, after which he announced his departure.
"We all took this decision together not many weeks ago," Italiano told reporters after Sunday's game. "You reach a certain point where you have to stop.
"I'm convinced whoever arrives will be able to continue a path that will leave something improved, I hope I have left something to this group, I think they have been three positive years.
"The only regret was not having added the trophy, but as [Atalanta coach Gian Piero] Gasperini told me, these paths are worthwhile and will be remembered."
Reflecting on Fiorentina's latest European near miss, Italiano said he was confident his team would come out on top if the game was replayed.
He also said he regretted being unable to end a traumatic season with silverware, with the club being rocked by the death of general manager Joe Barone in March.
"I would play Olympiacos again tonight, we were all convinced we could beat them. We all believed we could reach the end of the cycle but we didn't succeed," Italiano said.
"The saddest moment was the loss of our director, the worst moment since I was in football. The love we had for him pushed us towards an emotional ending."
De Jong unsure on fitness ahead of Euro 2024
Frenkie de Jong is unsure whether he will be fit for the Netherlands' Euro 2024 opener against Poland as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury.
De Jong was included in Ronald Koeman's final 26-man squad for the Euros despite an ankle issue preventing him from featuring for Barcelona since April 21.
The midfielder was limited to just 30 appearances in all competitions through 2023-24, as the Blaugrana finished a distant second to Real Madrid in LaLiga and exited the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.
He is yet to join in with team training despite linking up with his international team-mates ahead of warm-up matches against Canada and Iceland.
Speaking to reporters after going through an individual session on Sunday, De Jong said: "I'm not fit yet, so I can't say I'm doing well.
"The ankle is fine in itself but it just needs to recover properly because it shouldn't become something chronic.
"I'm not doing anything with the team yet. I am doing physio and recovery training, individual training.
"We just have to wait and see how the ankle goes. Then we will see when I can join in."
Asked if he expected to face Poland in the Oranje's Group D opener on June 16, De Jong said: "That is always the question.
"If you are not completely fit now and are not training with the group, then the question is always when and if you will make it. No one knows exactly.
"I really cannot say when. That's not because I don't want to and know it myself. It's just difficult to say."
Euro 2024 will be the Netherlands' 11th participation at UEFA's flagship international tournament, and they won the competition when it was last hosted solely in Germany, beating the Soviet Union in the 1988 final.
Atalanta 2-3 Fiorentina: Scalvini injured as La Dea miss chance to finish third
Italy defender Giorgio Scalvini was forced off injured as Atalanta failed to secure a third-place finish in Serie A on Sunday, being substituted late on in a 3-2 loss to Fiorentina.
The Europa League winners faced the Europa Conference League runners-up in Bergamo one week after the rest of the league played their final games of 2023-24, with the teams unable to meet before now due to their European commitments.
A victory would have taken Gian Piero Gasperini's team – who were guaranteed a top-four finish – above Juventus into third, but Andrea Belotti put them behind within six minutes.
Ademola Lookman raced clear to equalise with a dinked finish within six further minutes, but Nicolas Gonzalez's fine volley soon re-established the Viola's lead.
Scalvini drilled in a terrific shot to pull Atalanta level again shortly after the hour mark, but his game would later end in tears as he was helped from the field with an apparent knee issue – a major concern for Italy less than two weeks out from their Euro 2024 opener.
Belotti had put Fiorentina back in the lead following a goalmouth scramble on the stroke of half-time, and Atalanta were unable to force a leveller in the second period as their fine season ended on a flat note.
Data Debrief: Thrilling end to Serie A season
Sunday's game – the final Serie A contest of 2023-24 – saw more first-half goals scored than any other match in the competition this term. Belotti got two of the five, and he now has seven goal involvements (six goals, one assist) in his last six league games against Atalanta.
The result is just a minor inconvenience for La Dea, though. They have finished in Serie A's top four for just the fifth time in their history, previously doing so in 2016-17 (fourth), 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 (all third).
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