Liverpool Team News: Klopp Confirms Huge Injury Blow But Duo Fit To Face Arsenal

The new 2016/17 Premier League season is almost upon us and Liverpool begin their campaign with a tough trip to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

Ahead of the game, Jurgen Klopp has been speaking to Liverpoolfc.com and given the clubs website a team news and injury update ahead of their journey to the capital.

Unfortunately the Reds boss has confirmed a huge injury blow with the news that Daniel Sturridge isn’t expected to be passed fit to face the Gunners this weekend.

Sturridge was forced to miss Liverpool’s friendlies with Barcelona and Mainz last weekend after aggravating a hip problem and the striker has been unable to train fully this week so Klopp says they are unlikely to risk the 26-year-old.

The Liverpool boss was slightly more optimistic with James Milner after saying the midfielder’s injury isn’t as bad as first feared after he was left on crutches having picked up a heel injury during the win over Barca last Saturday.

Milner has been able to train as the pain eased throughout the week but Klopp says he’ll wait for a final verdict from the clubs medical team before making a decision over the midfielders availability this weekend.

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However, two players who will be in contention to face the Gunners on Sunday are Dejan Lovren and Marko Grujic after Klopp confirmed the pair have recovered from minor knocks that they picked up last weekend.

Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com:

“On Wednesday he [Sturridge] could train. On Thursday, he felt [it] a little bit so we will have to see.

“Of course, he had a few days where he couldn’t train and that’s not too good for the Arsenal game, but we have other players who are available and that’s good for us. Hopefully it stays like this and we can give Daniel enough time so that when he is fit again, he can then become match fit in the next few days. There are a lot of games to play.

“It is nothing serious with him, but it was enough to get him out of training and so now we have to see. It’s how I always say, we have to think about the players that are available at the moment and all the other guys have to work as hard as possible to become fit again.”

“With Millie we have to wait. It’s better than we all expected after the [Barcelona] game when we saw him walking out of the stadium on crutches – that’s not the best picture you want to see after a game.

“On Sunday he felt better, on Monday he felt better. It’s a bruise in the heel, so that’s really painful and I can say that when it is too painful for Millie, then it’s really painful.

“[We will take] no risk at the moment, we have to wait until everybody says we can go on and that’s what we’ll do.”

“There is no problem – Dejan has been completely normal in training,”

“Marko was back in training on Thursday, it was not serious as I mentioned after the game – painful but not serious.”

With Sturridge expected to be out, Klopp will have to decide between Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino for the striker role up front and if Milner isn’t passed fit, Jordan Henderson is expected to start alongside Emre Can in midfield.

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Liverpool are certain to be without goalkeeper Loris Karius, midfielder Lucas Leiva and defenders Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez for the game at the Emirates on Sunday.