Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has provided a fitness update on five of his players ahead of their Champions League clash with Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday.
He has confirmed that James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum and Sadio Mane are all fit to play in the mid-week fixture after Wijnaldium got a knock on his Achilles.
Klopp added that if nothing happens to Mane then he should be in contention to start, but Naby Keita is still not available, as well as Jordan Henderson, who picked up an injury in the 1-0 win over Huddersfield on Saturday.
“Millie looks fine and should be OK, Gini got a knock on his Achilles but should be OK and Sadio trained and should be fine,” Klopp said, as quoted by Goal correspondent Neil Jones via his personal Twitter account.
Klopp here for his pre-match press conference.
"Sadio could train the last two days, completely normal. If nothing happens he should at least be in contention. Naby and Hendo will not be available. Naby is in a good way already, outside running, but we see day by day." #LFC
— Neil Jones (@neiljonesgoal) October 23, 2018
Klopp on Milner, Wijnaldum and Mane fitness.
"Millie looks fine and should be OK, Gini got a knock on his Achilles but should be OK and Sadio trained and should be fine." #LFC
— Neil Jones (@neiljonesgoal) October 23, 2018
“Sadio could train the last two days, completely normal. If nothing happens he should at least be in contention. Naby and Hendo will not be available. Naby is in a good way already, outside running, but we see day by day.”
OPINION
Klopp has not had much luck in terms of injury to his midfield players, and now Henderson has been ruled out after suffering a setback against the Terriers. He is fast running out of options in this department, but he will no doubt be boosted by the fact that James Milner could be in contention for the match on Wednesday. Milner’s lack of presence on the pitch has been felt by his teammates, so Klopp will no doubt be very happy that he is back. The return of Sadio Mane is also great news, as his side have been looking rather bleak in the attacking department recently. Even though it was only an injury to his hand, the fact that Mane has been sidelined has meant that Liverpool’s eye for goal has somewhat decreased. This game with Red Star is most definitely a must-win after losing their last fixture to Napoli – as the last thing they want is to finish second in their group and face one of the bigger teams in the next round.
