Town chief insists Liverpool game is no 'free hit' for his Luton side

Town manager Rob Edwards insists he is definitely not considering tomorrow’s clash against title-chasing Liverpool at Kenilworth Road as a ‘free hit’ for his side.

The Hatters go into the game as severe underdogs, as they come up against a Reds side who are brimming with confidence following their 12th win from 15 games when knocking AFC Bournemouth out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

Such is the lack of faith in the hosts’ ability to get anything from the fixture, SkyBet have already priced them up as a massive 12/1 to succeed, with Jurgen Klopp’s men 1/5 to take the three points back to Merseyside.

Despite being expected to leave empty-handed, Edwards wasn’t for a second about to send his players out looking for anything other than a first home triumph of the campaign, as he said: “No, no, it’s another opportunity for us to try and win a game, as was Aston Villa away last week.

"We know how difficult the challenge is.

"I said after the game that we’re not going to be defined by these games, but it’s another opportunity for us to win, an opportunity for us if we don’t win to try and get something from it, so we don’t see it that way at all.

"Liverpool are a massive club and a team that are doing really, really well at the moment as well, so I know they’ll be huge favourites for the game.

"But we see it as a chance if we get things right and execute what we want to try and do.

"We’ll have to be very good and have a little bit of luck as well, maybe they’ll have to be off it a little bit, but this is a chance for us to win a game of football, so we don’t see it as a free hit no.”

The Reds head to Kenilworth for the first time since an FA Cup third round tie in January 2008 with a side who have had to undergo something of a rebuild under Klopp following a disappointing fifth place finish last term that saw them miss out on Champions League football.

The German chief has done that, as after losing a number of stalwarts, including Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson and James Milner, he spent big, with over £110m going on Brighton’s World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, plus Hungarian international Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig.

Klopp also splashed out on another £50m on duo Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo from Bayern Munich and Stuttgart respectively, with some in the media labelling the new-look 2023-24 crop as Liverpool 2.0.

Discussing their opponents, Edwards continued: “They’re brilliant, top players, they’re almost going into a different team now from the one that was very, very successful.

"They’re evolving, but they’re also winning.

"They’re confident, they’ve got a very good way of playing, so it’s a bit different from the team that won the league and won the Champions League.

"They've got one or two players now, Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been a really important player for a long time, his role is evolving in that team.

"The new midfielders they’ve got in there can rotate around it, there’s a freedom in that structure they’ve got.

"They’re very well coached, top individuals, which makes for a difficult game.”

While Klopp has bolstered his squad impressively, one player is still doing the business as he has done since arriving at Kenilworth Road in 2017, forward Mohamed Salah, already into double figures this term as he closes in on 200 Reds goals.

He has some real support as well, Uruguayan Darwin Nunez with seven, while Diego Jota (six) and Cody Gapko (four) are chipping in impressively as well.

On just how Town will try to stop the Egyptian international and his fellow attackers, Edwards said: “It’s difficult as most people don’t.

"We’ve got to be really, really good and defend as a team, then at the right moments we’ve got to try and be very good with the ball.

"We’ve got to try and attack at the right moments, the right speed and again, that is difficult against a team that are very good at counter-pressing, win the ball back very quickly as well.

"It is a very, very difficult challenge for us, but also very clear as well, because you know what’s coming.

"Liverpool won’t change for us, so it’s a good one to prepare for and we’re really looking forward to it like we have for every game.

“When you’re up against world class players and coaches, they’ll find solutions, so we’ve got to be very, very good at what we do and be excellent as a team, almost perfect as a team.

"That doesn’t mean as individuals, but as a team, as a unit.”

Despite the top class nature of the side his players will be facing, Edwards wants to make sure that both they and the supporters enjoy taking one one the biggest clubs in English, if not world football, in front of the Sky cameras at 4.30pm.

He added: “I know they’re going to enjoy this, it’s one to savour and enjoy for our supporters.

"We want them to make as much noise as possible, but I want them to be proud of the lads and what they do when they’re out on the pitch.

"It’s about us bouncing off each other, but what an occasion it is for them to enjoy as well.

"These are the moments, these are the types of games that we wanted to have here, this is why we got promoted.

"The next thing is to prepare well and acquit ourselves well in the game.

"It's a brilliant occasion, we want everyone to enjoy it, but at the same time, try to find a better result.”