Fantasy managers were offered reassuring comments by Jurgen Klopp in his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon.
Mohamed Salah‘s midweek trip to New York and Liverpool’s forthcoming UEFA Champions League double-header against Barcelona are nagging doubts ahead of Liverpool’s appealing Gameweek 36 fixture against Huddersfield Town but Klopp was quick to pour scorn on any suggestion that he would have one eye on next week’s trip to the Nou Camp.
Klopp said:
I will not push that wrong mindset with a fresh line-up or whatever, no chance for that. We had enough time to recover from the last game, we have enough time to recover for the next game. Barcelona has nothing to do with the game on Friday.
Asked if Salah’s brief jolly to America would be an issue ahead of Friday’s match at Anfield, Klopp said:
Travelling these days is no problem any more. It would be more of a problem if his car was broken and he had to walk from here! That’s pretty comfortable.
Of course, he can miss one session [on Wednesday], that’s what he did. Today he will be in training, everything will be fine again. He’s back and everything will be fine.
The Liverpool boss meanwhile provided updates on Adam Lallana (unspecified), Fabinho (head) and Dejan Lovren (illness), saying:
All a bit questionable, we don’t know exactly at the moment. We will have to see today. Dejan trained yesterday so that’s OK, probably. The others we will have to see.
The man in the away dugout at Anfield on Friday, Jan Siewert, also held his press conference today.
Siewert confirmed that Ben Hamer (knock) and Laurent Depoitre (foot) won’t feature but Adama Diakhaby (hamstring) has had two weeks of training and could come back into contention.
Elsewhere, Richarlison (rib) is a “major doubt” for Everton’s match against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Rounding up Everton’s injury situation on Thursday, Marco Silva said:
Lucas [Digne] is OK.
Richarlison we have big doubts about. He has tried yesterday to work with us, he felt it again. Let’s see how he will react tomorrow, today he tried again. He will be a big doubt for us, a major doubt for us.
Let’s see how Theo [Walcott] will be tomorrow because he was sick this morning.
[Yerry] Mina started [training] with the team also, beginning of the week. He is doing well and preparing well himself.
Davy Propper (hamstring) will miss Brighton’s home match against Newcastle United on Saturday but Anthony Knockaert is available after a three-match ban.
Ralph Hasenhuttl had much to clarify in his own pre-match press conference.
The Southampton boss said of his injured contingent:
Jannik [Vestergaard] not [fit], that’s for sure. Ryan Bertrand has got a hit on his ankle and is maybe also a question. Matt Targett is back in team training. Stuey Armstrong has a little problem with his hamstring.
Shane [Long] is fit, I think. He trained today, had a little problem at the end of the game against Watford, so it looks good that he can play at the weekend.
Fulham manager Scott Parker will welcome Tom Cairney (personal reasons) and perhaps Alfie Mawson (knee) back to the first-team fold this weekend.
Parker said on Thursday:
Tom Cairney will come back now that his girlfriend has given birth. There’s a slight doubt over André Schürrle due to his wife having a baby as well, but [Alfie] Mawson is back in contention. He’s been out for some time so it’s pleasing to have him back.
He came in over the summer as a big addition to the squad and has struggled a little bit with injuries but he’s been back now for the last few weeks, played a couple of under-23 games, so we’re looking forward to getting him involved, hopefully at the weekend.
The 14 remaining Premier League managers will hold their press conferences on Friday so we will bring you up to speed on any injury updates in our regular article and video round-up tomorrow.
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