Salah and trio set for return as Liverpool beats illness hurdle. #anfield #football #liverpooltv
Liverpool will return to Premier League action this Saturday, facing Nottingham Forest away, and they are hopeful that their injury troubles will begin to ease. Following the League Cup final victory over Chelsea, where both Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch sustained injuries, Jurgen Klopp found himself without 14 senior players for the midweek FA Cup match against Southampton due to Andy Robertson’s illness. Despite several key players being ruled out until after the March international break, Liverpool may see the return of some players at the City Ground.
Konate Returns
Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk both played 45 minutes alongside Jarell Quansah against Southampton, but Liverpool’s preferred defensive duo are expected to be reunited in the East Midlands.
Caoimhin Kelleher will remain in goal, while Conor Bradley is likely to stay at right-back. If Andy Robertson recovers from illness, he is expected to reclaim his spot at left-back.
However, Joe Gomez can fill in on either flank if needed, in case Robertson requires rest or if he fails to recover in time. Kostas Tsimikas is also an option to maintain his position at left-back.
Macca Takes The Midfield Spotlight
Alexis Mac Allister also fell ill after Liverpool’s League Cup final victory, but he managed to recover sufficiently to be brought on as a substitute against Southampton. Consequently, he will be back in the starting lineup.
However, the Argentine could feature either as a number six or number eight, depending on the severity of the injury suffered by Endo last weekend. Klopp will provide an update on Endo’s condition during his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.
Dominik Szoboszlai has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since scoring in the 4-1 win over Chelsea at the end of January, and he was considered ‘touch and go’ to return for the Southampton match.
Bobby Clark is currently in a good position to make his full Premier League debut, with James McConnell also in contention. If not required in attack, Harvey Elliott could complete the midfield trio.
Salah And Nunez Back In The Mix?
Similar to Szoboszlai, both Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez were uncertain to recover in time to face Southampton. Failing to make it, they will aim to make their returns against Forest instead.
Luis Diaz will return on the left flank, with Cody Gakpo set to start up front. After scoring their first goals for the club against Southampton, both Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns will be eager for more senior minutes at the City Ground.
source