Liverpool handed injury boost ahead of Palace trip but key duo could miss out

Joe Gomez is expected to be fit for Liverpool’s trip to Crystal Palace this weekend but Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson remain major doubts for the game, according to the Liverpool Echo.

Liverpool were given a scare when Gomez was forced to withdraw from the England squad over the weekend after being ruled out of the trip to Kosovo on Sunday night due to a knee injury that he sustained in training ahead of the game.

Gomez was sent back to Melwood to be checked over by Liverpool’s medical team and the Liverpool Echo claim it’s good news as the defender has suffered no serious damage following a simple clash of knees with an England team-mate at St George’s Park.

According to the report, Gomez is almost certainly going to be in contention for Liverpool’s clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon which will be a welcome boost to boss Jurgen Klopp as Joel Matip is still struggling with a knee problem.

However, it’s not all positive news for the Reds as the Liverpool Echo says Salah remains a doubt for the trip to Selhurst Park as he continues his rehabilitation from an ankle injury that’s hampered him in recent weeks.

Salah initially sustained the injury during the closing stages of Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Leicester City in early October and he’s struggled to shake it off having tried to play through the pain barrier during the past few games.

The Egyptian international aggravated the injury during the 2-1 win over Manchester City before the international break and was spotted wearing a protective boot last week after being given an extended period of rest to finally overcome the issue.

Robertson is also back at Melwood recovering from an ankle injury after suffering the problem during Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Man City and was forced to withdraw from the Scotland squad last week ahead of their games against Cyprus and Kazakhstan.

The injury is the latest set-back for Robertson – who’s been struggling with a number of niggling injury concerns this season and has had his training programme carefully managed by the Liverpool coaching staff.

The Echo says Robertson and Salah are both rated as doubtful for Liverpool’s clash with Crystal Palace this weekend so Klopp will be praying they both make swift recoveries as they are key players for the German coach.

Liverpool head to Slehurst Park sitting eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table so the last thing Klopp wants is injuries derailing his sides march towards their first league title in almost 30 years.