Xherdan Shaqiri has been left out of Liverpool’s squad to face Red Star Belgrade.
Shaqiri was expected to face a hostile reception if included for the Reds’ latest Champions League encounter at the Rajko Mitic Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Relations between the Swiss international and the hosts remain terse following his country’s highly-charged win over Serbia during the World Cup group stages.
FIFA fined Shaqiri after he made a two-handed gesture to symbolise the Albanian flag in his goal celebration to reference to his Kosovan roots.
Serbia has refused to acknowledge the winger’s birthplace as an independent state for over a decade.
Although Shaqiri previously insisted that he was unfazed by any potential backlash, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed the reasons behind his omission.
He said: “We have heard and read the speculation and talk about what kind of reception Shaq would receive and although we have no idea what would happen.
“We want to go there and be focused 100 per cent on football and not have to think about anything else, that’s all.
“We are Liverpool FC, a big club, a football team but we don’t have any message further than that. We have no political message, absolutely not.
“We want the focus to be on a great game of football, free from anything else.
“We are keen to be respectful and keen to avoid any distractions that would take focus away from a 90-minute-plus contest that is important for football and only football.
“So for that reason, Shaq is not involved and he accepts and understands this. Shaq is our player, we love him, and he will play for us a lot of times, but not on Tuesday.