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There’s still two matches left in the Premier League before the season ends and Liverpool need the points in order to secure a top-four finish and Champions League qualification next season. First up is a trip to Chelsea this weekend. The Blues are making a final assault on the top four after a largely mediocre season from a team that would have expected more after winning the league last time out.
Jürgen Klopp has stated that the match at Chelsea and the following game against Brighton & Hove Albion are two cup finals for Liverpool before the actual cup final two weeks beyond. It’s an intense period for the Reds who can’t afford mistakes in these next two fixtures.
The teamsheet for Sunday’s match is sure to look similar to what we’ve been seeing lately. Klopp’s defense is light on reinforcements and his midfield is threadbare. Injuries have hit Liverpool hard. But after the weekend, you could forgive the manager for feeling optimistic about a couple players returning to full training in time to give him some hope for bolstering his ranks in Kiev.
“As far as I know nothing else happened,” Klopp said of his players’ post Roma fitness. “So that would be really cool, all still fit.
“Adam trained, the first real football session, at Rome, in the morning after the game.
“I have no idea if we will use that or not. I have to think about it. I don’t know. But that’s good.
“I was in contact with Emre as well. His important day is next Monday. Then, we can make the decision if he starts training with us or not immediately. But it would only be good news for the final, probably not for the last game of the season.
“Joe is still waiting for final assessment when we really figure out what it is exactly. We’ll know about that in a few days probably. But he’s not available for Chelsea.”
Adam Lallana, Emre Can and Joe Gomez have a chance to suit up for Liverpool before the curtain closes. What a boon that would be for Klopp. None of those three would be considered healthy enough to start but for Klopp to have those abilities on his bench would feel like a glut of options in these tattered squad times.