On Tuesday night, Liverpool will take on Chelsea in the Premier League.
The Reds are coming off a discouraging 4-1 loss to Manchester City heading into the match at Stamford Bridge. Due to that outcome, Liverpool dropped to the seventh spot in the Premier League standings.
With 11 games left in the season, Jurgen Klopp’s team is currently eight points behind fourth-placed Manchester City. The matchup versus Chelsea on Tuesday has been moved from its initial date of last September.
Liverpool will still be concerned about a few injuries before the match at Stamford Bridge. But, Klopp might possibly welcome one or two players back from injury.
After sustaining a muscle injury while serving Guinea’s national team overseas, Naby Keita is still ruled out. He didn’t go to Manchester City, and he won’t be at the game against Chelsea either.
Moreover, following their individual injuries, Luis Diaz and Thiago Alcantara will not be included in the matchday roster. With a severe knee injury sustained during a loss to Arsenal, Diaz hasn’t played since October.
An injury to his hip flexor has kept Thiago out of action since the beginning of February. But, neither player will be traveling to London with the matchday squad, according to Klopp, who noted that both have participated in the training.
Klopp made several changes during the loss to Man City, one of which was the swap of Andy Robertson for Kostas Tsimikas. Given that Liverpool will play Arsenal at the weekend, the manager of the Reds may decide to start Tsimikas against Chelsea.
Klopp has few options for who to start in the middle of the pitch because there aren’t many midfielders available. The only recognized midfield possibilities after Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, and Harvey Elliott are Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, and Arthur Melo.
Darwin Nunez might also get a chance to get the ball rolling against Chelsea. Before the international break, the striker sliced his ankle and could only play as a substitute at the Etihad Stadium.
Given the significance of the match, Klopp might believe that he wants his star striker on the pitch from the get-go. If not, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino are both available and sitting on the bench.
Liverpool predicted line-up vs Chelsea: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Henderson, Elliott; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.