General football news
Liverpool team news: Klopp confirms double boost but 3 players miss Man City clash
Liverpool have been handed a double boost ahead of their huge clash with Manchester City but three other players will miss the game.
Premier League leaders Liverpool take on defending champions Manchester City in a titanic clash at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Ahead of the game, Jurgen Klopp has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this afternoon and he’s provided a full team news and injury update including the latest on the fitness of several members of his squad.
Let’s start with the positive news and the Liverpool boss confirmed Virgil van Dijk is available for selection this weekend. Fans were concerned when the centre-back missed training on Thursday but van Dijk was back in Holland receiving a special achievement award from the Dutch king and queen. The defender is now back on Merseyside and is fit to start against City on Sunday.
In a double boost for Liverpool, Klopp also confirmed that Jordan Henderson is ‘completely fine’ after recovering from an illness that kept him out of their Champions League victory over Genk in midweek.
However, Liverpool will continue to be without the services of Joel Matip as he’s still recovering from a knee injury that’s hampered him in recent weeks while Nathaniel Clyne is also on the sidelines with a long-term knee problem.
Xherdan Shaqiri is Liverpool’s other absentee as the Swiss international is still working his way back to full fitness from a niggling calf injury so Klopp will be without three players for the visit of Man City this weekend.
Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com:
“Virg was for other reasons not here [on Thursday] but he is completely fine. Jordan is completely fine.
“Joel [Matip] is still out, like Shaq and like Clyney. That’s it, probably.”
Klopp is expected to recall a number of first team regulars this weekend with Andrew Robertson, Dejan Lovren, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino joining Henderson in returning to the side after not starting against Genk.
Liverpool head into the weekend action sitting six points clear of Man City at the top of the table so another win at Anfield on Sunday would open up a nine point gap with 26 games remaining.
