Chelsea
Liverpool Team News: Klopp Confirms Boost But Key Man Ruled Out Of Chelsea Game
Jurgen Klopp has offered a team news and injury update ahead of Liverpool game with Chelsea including a key man being ruled out while a defender will return
Liverpool will look to continue their good form when they head for the capital later this week to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Friday night.
Ahead of the game, Jurgen Klopp has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this afternoon and has given Liverpoolfc.com a team news and injury update.
The German coach revealed that Emre Can is still unavailable for selection despite the midfielder returning to training with the rest of the squad at Melwood earlier this week.
Can has sat out of the last two Premier League games against Tottenham and Leicester after suffering an ankle ligament injury during the Reds 5-0 victory over Burton Albion in the EFL Cup last month.
The 22-year-old was cleared to resume full training on Tuesday but Klopp says the midfielder needs to build up his fitness before he’ll be available for selection meaning Can will miss the trip to Stamford Bridge on Friday.
However, there was better news on the fitness of Dejan Lovren as the centre-back has been passed fit to return after recovering from a nasty eye injury that he picked up in training last week.
Lovren was forced to miss the 4-1 victory over Leicester City due to a severely swollen and bruised right eye but the Croatian international returned to training earlier this week and is now fit and available for selection to face Chelsea.
Klopp told the clubs website:
“The players who were involved in the last game are, until now, all ready again – plus Dejan. Not the others, for example Emre.
“Emre is not injured any more, which is good, but now he needs to train and that’s how it is. He had a difficult pre-season with coming back later than most of the other players then a little injury here and a little problem there.
“Until now, it was not the best moment but he is still a wonderful player and now we have to make him fit.
“That’s what we will do with him, that’s what we will do with Mama [Sakho] and if you want, with Joe Gomez and all the others.
“Simon [Mignolet] is all good and Loris [Karius] has been in training the whole week now, so all good.”
The news of Lovren’s return will be a huge boost to Klopp as Lucas Leiva was forced to fill-in at the back against Leicester and it was the Brazilian’s error that led to the visitors only goal during the 4-1 win.
Lovren is now expected to come straight back in to the defence and line-up alongside Joel Matip against Chelsea as Liverpool look to build on their impressive win over defending champions at the weekend.
