Dons should have no regrets against Liverpool

Although the Reds' U23s have a game in the Leasing.com Trophy away at Fleetwood on Wednesday night, Klopp is still expected to name a weakened side for their visit to Milton Keynes. However, it could still feature some strong names and international footballers against the League One outfit.

Midfielder Houghton says Dons cannot afford to miss out on the opportunity to prove themselves against Liverpool, and must leave the pitch at the end with no regrets.

"It will be a really good opportunity," he said. "We don't want to come away with regrets, sitting back for 90 minutes and not doing anything. We want to have a go when we can – we can't be stupid though! We're up against the best team in Europe at the moment, so we have to be defensively solid, sharp in our minds and resolute and go from there. But it will be a tough test.

"We want to put a performance on, we don't want them to have an easy game, putting goals in for fun. We'd be stupid to come here and try and play expansive football with people bombing on. We have to be sensible, but we're not writing off the result. It would be pointless us even going out there if we're going to do that."

Houghton has experience of coming up against Premier League opposition in the League Cup in the past too. Aside from Dons' trip to Bournemouth last season, he played more than an hour at the Emirates Stadium when Doncaster lost 1-0 to Arsenal in 2017.

And though he will be looking across at some household names in the Liverpool side, Houghton says there is no time to get star-struck.

He said: "It'll be a bit surreal. I played against Arsenal at the Emirates, and I looked over and saw Arsene Wenger sat there. But as soon as you get on the pitch, you forget those things. You're up against your man, and you have to beat your man.

"I'm really excited. Someone asked me if it was daunting, but I'm looking forward to it and playing against some of the best. It'll be a great evening under the lights and in front of a sell-out crowd.

"I've been lucky enough to have a few big games in my career already, so I'm looking forward rather than being nervous."