Jurgen Klopp and Diogo Jota have been encouraged by Darwin Nunez's displays ahead Liverpool's Champions League meeting with Rangers.
Nunez struggled to hit the ground running at Liverpool following his arrival from Benfica and has only featured in five Premier League matches – for a total of 267 minutes – due in large part to a three-game suspension he received for lashing out at Crystal Palace's Joachim Andersen in August.
The Uruguay forward was foiled on several occasions as Liverpool beat Rangers 2-0 last week. He has had nine shots in the Champions League without scoring this season – only Mohamed Salah (10) has had more attempts for the Reds. It is in stark contrast to last term, when he netted six times in the competition for Benfica.
However, after Nunez scored his second league goal of the season in Liverpool's 3-2 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday, Klopp is hopeful the 23-year-old is hitting his stride.
"It's very important for him to be confident," Klopp said in a press conference ahead of Wednesday's match at Ibrox Stadium. "He had a lot of good moments against Rangers, in moments he was unplayable but still, big goalie saves.
"He got the goal, he was really hard-working, so his performance was a positive, for sure."
Fellow Reds attacker Jota is also convinced Nunez will soon show his true quality, adding: "He started really well and people started to think his adaptation was never a problem, but maybe he required a few more games to get used to that level.
"With this run of games he's having, he's already scoring and people in the squad are already understanding his game. So, it's good for everyone and tomorrow there will be proof of that, I hope."
Although Liverpool are bidding for a third successive Champions League win on Wednesday, their return of just 10 points from eight Premier League games is their worst tally at this stage of a campaign since the 2012-13 season (nine), when they went on to finish seventh.
Klopp, however, remains up for the challenge, adding: "It's really tricky, yes, we can play better, and we did not go to Arsenal to show how good we are, we went there to win.
"This is a tough situation but it's a challenge. We always face challenges, and we'll go for it.
"I feel sorry for people who thought after last season that we'd go again and fly again and compete for everything.
"Now it's not the case. I can't promise we will fly tomorrow, but we will fight, definitely, until someone tells us the fight is over.
"It didn't become easier since Sunday because of the injuries but the team I saw today in training I liked a lot. Let's give it a go."
Gibraltar 0-2 Scotland: Christie and Adams strike to end Tartan Army's winless run
Second-half goals from Ryan Christie and Che Adams secured a 2-0 victory over Gibraltar in a pre-Euro 2024 friendly, ending a seven-game winless run.
Adams added some gloss to the scoreline late on, latching onto John McGinn's cross to rifle into the top corner after Ryan Christie had put them ahead in the 58th minute.
In the first half, it looked like it was not going to be Scotland's day, as they wastefully spurned a host of chances, with Grant Hanley failing to convert a hat-trick of opportunities.
Though they ended their winless run, there was still cause for concern for Steve Clarke as Liam Cooper, on as a half-time substitute, was forced off injured in the 77th minute.
Data Debrief: Ending goal droughts
Christie's opener was his first goal for Scotland in 15 international appearances since netting against Republic of Ireland in September 2022.
Meanwhile, Adams is making a case to start in the Euros after Lyndon Dykes was forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury. He scored his sixth goal for Scotland on his 30th appearance, and his first since June 2022 against Armenia.
Lewandowski denies reports he could join Mourinho at Fenerbahce
Robert Lewandowski has denied reports he could join Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce, also insisting he is not considering retirement as he approaches his 36th birthday.
Lewandowski scored 26 goals in 49 games across all competitions in 2023-24, though that was down on his total of 33 goals as Barcelona won LaLiga in his first season with the club in 2022-23.
With the Blaugrana finishing a distant second to Real Madrid in LaLiga and exiting the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, reports had suggested an attacking refresh could be in the offing.
Lewandowski – who is halfway through a four-year deal with the Catalan giants – was linked with a move to Fenerbahce, who appointed Mourinho as their head coach on Sunday.
However, the Poland international has not heard anything about a transfer, telling Sport: "Fenerbahce have not contacted me. I don't know anything about it."
Lewandowski will turn 36 shortly after LaLiga's 2024-25 campaign commences in mid-August.
He was asked whether he might follow in the footsteps of Toni Kroos, who went out at the top of his game by helping Real Madrid win the Champions League in the final match of his club career on Saturday.
"My heart will tell me that moment. Before making a decision, I must first feel something," Lewandowski said.
"I don't know when it will happen, it's difficult to determine it by myself. I need to hear my decision to be sure of it and now I don't have it.
"Physically I feel very good and that means I can't think about retirement. Maybe Toni Kroos felt that moment, but it's not the case for me. I'm realising that the hard work I've done and I'm still doing is paying off."
Lewandowski will hope Hansi Flick's arrival at Camp Nou helps him step things up next season, having registered an incredible 83 goals and 18 assists in 71 games under him at Bayern Munich, between November 2019 and June 2021.
The striker also set the Bundesliga's single-season goal record under Flick, netting 41 times in 29 league matches as they won the title in 2020-21.
Southgate: No decision made on Grealish's place at Euro 2024
Gareth Southgate is yet to decide if Jack Grealish will make his final 26-man England squad for Euro 2024, pointing to the fierce competition for places out wide.
Grealish made 10 appearances in total at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, but nine of those came off the bench as he played the role of impact player.
All 35 of his England caps have come under Southgate, but a stop-start campaign with Manchester City has seen his place called into question ahead of the Euros.
Injuries and poor form limited Grealish to just 20 appearances across all competitions in 2023-24, after he provided five goals and seven assists as City won the treble in 2022-23.
Ahead of this week's warm-up friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland, Southgate said Grealish's attitude has never been in doubt.
"He has been really bright and he loves being here. He's had a good energy about his training," Southgate said.
"This season he has not played as much. I'm sure he would have liked that to be different but we know the qualities he can bring.
"He is a player we enjoy working with and a character we enjoy having within the group."
However, with Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon, Jarrod Bowen, James Maddison and Eberechi Eze all capable of playing in the wide areas, some have questioned if Grealish will be retained when Southgate cuts his 33-man squad to 26.
Asked if Grealish was at risk, Southgate said: "I don't think we're defining that just yet. I think we know where we're likely to be.
"It's hard to be quite so specific because we keep sitting down and saying: 'Okay, if it's this or this'. Then somebody else in the room says: 'What about if we lose that player there, or that one doesn't come through with his injury? Do we need another one in this area?'
"Time is our friend this week. It's worth using the time.
"There are a lot of good players in that area of the pitch and they are all competing. We think we know who the best have been across the season.
"What we don't totally know is how many we need to take or how many we can allow ourselves to take because of the cover we might need in other positions."
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