Liverpool are going to face Fulham in their first game of the new Premier League season but Jurgen Klopp could be without some very important players in this match.
Liverpool had a very strong pre-season, winning most of their important games but during this time, several first-team players have picked up niggles and major injuries.
Right now, as many as eight first-team players are in the treatment room and with just a few days left before they head to Craven Cottage, some of these players are surely going to miss the trip.
Which players are going to miss the Fulham vs Liverpool tie?
Amongst all the injured players, goalkeeper Alisson Becker is the only one who is going to be 100% fit before Saturday. He missed the Community Shield tie but Klopp has revealed that he is going to be ready in time for their EPL season opener.
Apart from him, all the others are facing a race against time with the likes of Diogo Jota and Ibrahima Konate expected to miss out.
Konate and Jota have both picked up knocks and while the defender will be touch and go but Diogo Jota will only return after two or three weeks.
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Naby Keita and Curtis Jones missed Liverpool’s friendly against Strasbourg and the manager has hinted that neither of them will be available for selection this weekend.
“Naby is ill and Curtis felt a little bit and we couldn’t take any risks,” said Klopp, as quoted.
“Curtis, we have to see. [There] was no impact or whatever, so that always makes it a bit, ‘My god, what could it be?’ We had no time; he felt it today and he wanted to play desperately, but then the medical department said no and that we needed to make further tests. We will do that tomorrow and then we will know more.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kelleher are out injured and both of them are already ruled out while Tsimikas will go through a late fitness test.
Apart from Jota and Ibrahima Konate, all the others are fringe players so the Liverpool manager won’t be too worried. However, he will have massively diminished bench strength if all of them are not ready by Saturday.
Liverpool should get over the line without any major hiccups, more so because Marco Silva has already admitted that his new arrivals are yet to adjust and adapt to the team’s philosophy.
