Jurgen Klopp has no fresh injury concerns to deal with as Liverpool prepare to host Spartak Moscow in their final Group Stage game on Wednesday.
Liverpool will be looking to confirm their passage into the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 as Group E winners, when they play hosts to Spartak Moscow at Anfield on Wednesday. Ahead of the crunch tie, Jurgen Klopp has received a huge boost, with no pressing injury concerns hampering his preparations.
In fact, Klopp is set to welcome two players back into the fold on Wednesday, with Joe Gomez and Ragnar Klavan completing their recoveries from their respective bouts of illness. That leaves just Marko Grujic (hand), Nathaniel Clyne (back), Adam Bogdan (ACL) and Danny Ward (back) on the treatment table.
When asked if there were any fresh injury concerns in his squad during his pre-match press conference, Klopp looked like a relieved man, informing that there were no new problems ahead of the final training session, while also confirming that Gomez and Klavan are likely to be ready for Wednesday’s game.
“Thank God not so far, but we still have three or four hours to go until we train. Yes, it looks like it [Gomez and Klavan will be ready]. They were in training yesterday and did the full stuff and that was good. We didn’t do a lot, it was a bridge day, but what we did they could do. They looked both really well.”
Sadio Mane: ‘Each player wants to play every game. But we are Liverpool, with a good team full of good players. We have to respect the manager’s decision.’ pic.twitter.com/pHB3J9XKZR
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 5, 2017
Klopp also added that, as has been the trend in recent weeks, he will continue rotating his side on Wednesday, meaning Sadio Mane could be set to return to the starting lineup after sitting out the game at Brighton on Saturday. Loris Karius should resume his customary position between the sticks as well.
“We never did ‘rotation’ because of being disrespectful of the next opponent or something, we thought so far it makes sense to do the different things to line up the strongest team and that will be the same case for tomorrow night.”
Finally, Klopp added that Adam Lallana will not be a part of another matchday squad on Wednesday as he continues building up his fitness upon his return from a long-term thigh injury.
“No, Adam will not be in the squad for this game tomorrow, but he is on a very good way. That’s what we thought actually the whole time, and we want to build him up with his fitness and all that stuff.”
Spartak Moscow manager Massimo Carrera will be traveling without four first-team players, with Georgi Tigiev (ruptured cruciate ligament), Artem Timofeev (knee), Dmitri Kombarov (rib) and Jano Ananidze (ankle) sidelined.
