Liverpool takes on Everton in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday night. Jürgen Klopp’s preparations have been hit with a fresh injury blow.
Liverpool knows it cannot afford to drop points in Wednesday night’s crunch Merseyside derby with Everton. The Reds returned to winning ways on Sunday at Fulham to climb into second in the Premier League.
But league leaders Arsenal opened up a three-point lead at the top by thrashing Chelsea 5-0. That success boosted the Gunners’ goal difference further and means Liverpool must win to keep pace at the top.
Manchester City is currently in third and does have games in hand on the top two but victory for Liverpool will put the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s men to win their remaining matches.
Liverpool’s preparations ahead of the clash with Everton have been hit with another injury blow after Diogo Jota was ruled out. He had only just returned to the side following a knee injury.
Here is the latest on the 27-year-old’s problem and when Liverpool fans can expect to see him back in action. There are also updates on a number of his teammates, including two who may not feature again this term.
Diogo Jota
Liverpool will be without Diogo Jota for the Merseyside derby against Everton. The Portuguese made his first start since a lengthy lay-off with a knee problem against Fulham, scoring his side’s third goal.
But in his press conference ahead of Wednesday’s match, Klopp confirmed Jota would be out for a fortnight. “I cannot really say a lot about it, to be honest. Before which game where he didn’t start, he got a knock, normal challenge, then felt a little bit at the hip. That was then fine because we didn’t start him, brought him on, that was alright.
“Then he started the last game, was obviously OK and then with the finish… it’s a small one but we are late in the season, so obviously now it’s not a great moment for each injury pretty much. It’s not a big one. When I say two weeks, actually really it’s pretty much nothing but enough to not be available.”
Possible return date: Should be back for Aston Villa (May 13).
Conor Bradley
Reds defender Conor Bradley limped off against Crystal Palace with an ankle problem. Scans showed there was no serious damage but Klopp confirmed he had ‘overstretched his ligaments’ in the Anfield defeat.
The Liverpool boss suggested Bradley would be back in training in two weeks ahead of last week’s match with Atalanta, meaning he is still around a week away from returning to action. He should be fit to play some part in the final matches of the season.
Possible return date: Tottenham (May 5) or Aston Villa (May 13).
Ben Doak
Liverpool youngster Ben Doak has had a difficult season with injuries, having been tipped for a breakthrough campaign. He has not played since December and was then forced to undergo surgery on a knee problem.
He shared an update on his progress on social media recently, revealing he was not too far away from returning. Doak may get some minutes for the Under-21s if he can prove his fitness but is not expected to feature for the first team.
Possible return date: Unknown.
Thiago Alcântara and Joël Matip
Liverpool fans may have seen the last of Thiago Alcântara and Joël Matip in a red shirt, with both out of contract at the end of the season. Thiago’s season has been restricted to just one brief substitute appearance but he suffered another setback in that match and hasn’t featured since.
Spanish publication Relevo recently reported that Thiago had returned to his homeland to work with a personal physio in order to be fit for next season. It does appear that he will be trying to secure a deal elsewhere.
The same applies to Matip, who has been out since December due to an ACL injury. He has been back running at Liverpool’s AXA Training Centre but Klopp revealed the season will end too early for the defender to feature.
Possible return dates: After the end of the season.
