Liverpool Given Gomez and Shaqiri Injury Boost

Liverpool received two pieces of good news today on the injury front, with Xherdan Shaqiri successfully completing his first full training session with teammates. A start against Crystal Palace is unlikely, but a bench role could beckon for the Swiss international.

Meanwhile, though Joe Gomez hasn’t trained following his return from England duty with what Gareth Southgate said was a minor knock that shouldn’t force him to miss any action, Liverpool’s medical team have given him the once-over and believe that is the case.

Unlike in Shaqiri’s case, Gomez’ short layoff means he is expected to be available for selection from the start against Palace on Saturday should Jürgen Klopp need the young English defender to play due to Andy Robertson’s questionable fitness status.

On that front, things remain uncertain, with neither Robertson nor the similarly injured Mohamed Salah training—but both are being held out largely for precautionary reasons as the club attempt to give them time to fully heal their troubling ankle injuries.

In both cases, if their involvement on Saturday was considered essential it is likely they would play, but it’s possible Klopp and the medical team will err on the side of caution—which would necessitate Gomez’ inclusion in the defence at the very least.

Meanwhile in attack, it could mean a start for Divock Origi—or possibly a starting role in the attack for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain if Klopp gets creative as in recent weeks he has made a case for himself as Roberto Firmino’s primary backup.