Jürgen Klopp will be missing six players for Liverpool’s Premier League match against Chelsea as he recovers from an injury build-up.
After a winter break and competitions in the League Cup and FA Cup, Liverpool will eventually return to Premier League action later. These two assignments were successfully finished, and this meeting with Chelsea will serve as a practice run for the competition’s final next month.
Additionally, it will be the first Premier League match since Jürgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool was announced. The Anfield reception he will receive for the remainder of the season was already tasted by him against Norwich, but a major league match played under the lights might see it intensified even more.
However, Klopp will be anxious that this not turn into a diversion. Liverpool lost to Chelsea on the first day of the season, a result that has only gotten worse with time. The Reds must take advantage of home advantage in order to elevate their status in the “big six” mini-league during the second half of the season.
The manager of Liverpool is beginning to get injured players back. Dominik Szoboszlai, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Andy Robertson, who was also judged well enough to be named as a substitute in the previous game, all returned from the bench against Norwich.
Robertson must be getting close to making a debut, but there’s no rush given Joe Gomez’s form. Szoboszlai and Alexander-Arnold have missed much shorter amounts of time, so they ought to be prepared to start against Chelsea.
Regarding Thiago Alcântara, there has been some significant news in the interim. Despite going missing for the better part of a year, he was seen practicing with the team before the Chelsea game.
Expectations have been tempered by Klopp’s insistence that he will still “need time.” However, this is undoubtedly encouraging and raises the likelihood that the Spaniard will contribute in some way to Liverpool’s final stretch before his contract expires in the summer.
His countryman Stefan Bajčetić, who has also been absent for practically the entire season, is still nowhere to be found. He made a brief comeback, but then experienced another setback.
Long-term absentees Joël Matip and Ben Doak will also be absent for Klopp, and Kostas Tsimikas is not yet fit. While Egypt is eliminated from the African Cup of Nations, Mohamed Salah sustained an injury there that will prevent him from competing. Wataru Endō is away at the Asian Cup.
Without a doubt, Klopp has the players needed to end the lengthy run of draws in this match and secure a victory. The manager’s complete roster is available to you here on Liverpool.com as the Reds attempt to maintain their lead in the Premier League.
Goalkeepers: Alisson Becker, Caoimhín Kelleher, Adrián.
Defenders: Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Ibrahima Konaté.
Midfielders: Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch.
Forwards:Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Cody Gakpo, and Diogo Jota.
Players who are injured: Joël Matip, Ben Doak, Kostas Tsimikas, Thiago Alcântara, Stefan Bajčetić, and Mohamed Salah.
Players who are unavailable: Wataru Endō (international duty).
