Thursday 26 April 2018 16:28, UK
Swansea manager Carlos Carvahal says he is fine with Liverpool potentially resting Mohamed Salah against his side's relegation rivals Stoke.
Carvahal will see his men go up against Chelsea on Saturday (5.30pm kick-off) as they battle to keep hold of their Premier League status.
Stoke, who sit four points adrift of the Swans down in the relegation zone, face Liverpool earlier on Saturday (12.30pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports Premier League) and are likely to encounter a weakened side as the Reds have their Champions League semi-final second leg against Roma on Wednesday to consider.
Carvahal, however, insists he has no issue with Liverpool potentially giving the likes of PFA Player of the Year Salah a day off, and is content with his side focusing on securing their own future without the input of other teams.
"It is another David vs Goliath match but I have confidence in my team... we will not be giving any excuses," Carvahal said during his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
"It is not my job [to decide the Liverpool team], I must understand.
"I know for example what I felt in the last game against Manchester City, that they will play on the top to try to win points even though they are champions, it's the way that they play. Other teams will do the same.
"They will recover players to have fresh players, but I believe they will still be competitive, even if it's Liverpool I think they will put three or four players out, but they will stay with five or six. We did that in the cup and we win.
"Sure they will be competitive because they have ambitions in the competition because they want to try to be in the second place. Liverpool is much more than one player. They can win without this player."
Carvalhal confirmed he has an almost fully-fit squad ahead of the fixture against Chelsea, with only long-term absentees out, although Kyle Bartley and Federico Fernandez will each undertake scans before their availability can be determined.
The Portuguese boss also voiced his opinion on the petition for safe standing in English football - backing the approach to benefit the game's loyal supporters.
He said: "Something that is positive and is safe is a good thing. If you put the football too much like the opera, the football will change. I think it's important to bring the fans who really like the football and not just the tourists with the camera."
