Liverpool's Kostas Tsimikas quells injury fears ahead of Manchester City clash
The 27-year-old had completed the full 90 minutes in the Pirate Ship's 2-0 friendly win over Finland last Friday and was expected to hold his place for their final Group B fixture with France.
However, Tsimikas was not involved whatsoever for Gus Poyet's side on Tuesday, as Norwich City's Dimitrios Giannoulis instead occupied the left-hand side in that 2-2 draw in Athens.
Tsimikas's absence naturally raised fears that the former Olympiacos man was an enforced withdrawal from the squad, which could have left Jurgen Klopp without a senior left-back for Saturday lunchtime's meeting with Manchester City.
The Reds are already coping without Andrew Robertson until the New Year owing to his shoulder injury and subsequent surgery, leaving Tsimikas as Klopp's only recognised option on that side, while Joe Gomez and Luke Chambers are emergency solutions.
However, with Greece already confirmed to be entering the qualifying playoffs before taking on France, Tsimikas has revealed that the decision to leave him out was a tactical one, as he had already picked up two bookings in Group B and would have served a suspension in the playoffs had he been cautioned on Tuesday.
«I could not play in the game against France because if I should take a yellow card, I would not play in the [play-off] games in March, which are more important than the one against France,» Tsimikas told the official Liverpool website. «I decided to come back earlier to the team, to be with the squad, to train with the team, to be more ready.
»It was my decision and this is what I wanted to do because, as everybody
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