Virgil van Dijk will probably be prepared to start for Liverpool against Newcastle on Saturday, according to Jurgen Klopp.
Van Dijk remained on the bench for the Merseyside derby on Monday, after being sidelined since being replaced at halftime of Liverpool’s 3-1 loss to Brentford on January 2.
Now that the Dutchman has accelerated his rehabilitation this week, Klopp has hinted that he may be able to play against St James’ Park.
When asked if Van Dijk would be returning to the lineup during his pre-game press conference, Klopp responded, “I think so.”
In training the day before, he appeared to be completely prepared.
In order to bridge the gap to the top four, Liverpool needs two consecutive victories, therefore Van Dijk’s return would be a huge help.
The Reds fared considerably better than expected in their 2-0 victory over Everton, and with a victory this weekend, they can close the gap on Newcastle to six points. Moreover, they would still be ahead of the Magpies by a game.
Yet, Klopp has acknowledged that he will still be without a lot of first-team regulars for the journey to Tyneside due to Liverpool’s lengthy injury list this season.
The same group as on Monday night. Not yet are Ibou (Konate) and Luis (Diaz). But basically, that is it, he added.
“On the injury front, nothing happened.” Thiago’s gone. Because of surgery, Calvin Ramsay was unavailable.