Fabinho will replace Naby Keita while Curtis Jones will be in contention to feature when Liverpool take on Manchester United on Sunday.
Liverpool will be hoping to keep the pressure on Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table when they lock horns with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday evening. And Jurgen Klopp has been handed a boost on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
The good news comes in the form of Curtis Jones’s return, with the English under-21 international resuming training this week in the build-up to the meeting with Manchester United. That means that only Thiago Alcantara (calf) and Harvey Elliott remain on the sidelines for Liverpool.
Speaking to the Liverpool FC media, Klopp provided an update on both Jones and Thiago without really divulging much on the team news front. The Liverpool boss said, “The squad is alright. We have to see, that’s how it is. We are only two days after the game and we have to make sure that we all get fit again, but they are the typical things.”
“I couldn’t tell you now who is 100 per cent available and who is not. Just what’s clear is that Curtis will train today with us the full session, that’s the plan. And Thiago not. So, these are the two things I know for the moment.”
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Klopp provided a further update on Thiago during his pre-match press conference, where he said, “He was not in team training yet and will not be this week, for sure. He is running, so that’s a good sign. I am not sure, maybe it is before the international break or, for sure, after the international break, that’s what we expect. We will see.”
While Jones is back in contention to make the starting lineup, James Milner could get the nod on Sunday owing to his big-match pedigree. The only change in the midfield unit will see Fabinho returning to the starting lineup, with Naby Keita making way, while captain Jordan Henderson will retain his spot.
As for the attacking unit, there is no looking past Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and the in-form Mohamed Salah, meaning Diogo Jota will miss out again. On the opposite end of the pitch, Alisson Becker picks himself in goal, and the Liverpool no. 1 will hope for a quieter evening on Sunday after bailing his team out on a few occasions against Atletico Madrid earlier this week.
Finally, the defensive unit is unlikely to see any tinkering. That means Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk will continue to pair up at the heart of the Liverpool defence while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will be the two full-backs yet again.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Milner; Salah, Firmino, Mane
