Liverpool might actually have an established footballer or two available to face Leicester City this weekend, as it is believed Andy Robertson and captain Jordan Henderson could well recover from minor injuries in time to feature.
Heading into the international break, the Reds' injury list read like the credit sequence of a feature-length film. Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Fabinho, Thiago and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all sat out of the 1-1 draw with Manchester City, while Trent Alexander-Arnold went off after the hour mark with a problem of his own.
None of the above played for their countries during the break, but Jurgen Klopp's headache was made a little worse anyway, when Robertson reported tightness in his hamstring after 120 minutes of Scotland's eventual victory over Serbia.
Liverpool may struggle this weekend. pic.twitter.com/RxpVReh2SX
— 90min (@90min_Football) November 16, 2020
Henderson then had to be withdrawn at half-time in England's defeat to Belgium with a muscle injury, and with Mohamed Salah also out after testing positive for COVID-19, it was beginning to seem like the worst possible time for the visit of in-form Leicester.
There is a small sliver of hope that Salah could return, however, with The Mail noting he is due to be tested again on Thursday. The big news, however, comes from The Mirror, who say that Liverpool are optimistic over Henderson and Robertson's chances of featuring this weekend.
Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling withdraw from the England squad due to injury. Will now be assessed by their clubs.
— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) November 16, 2020
It's a small sign that things may not be as desperate as they seem, especially with Fabinho, who has undergone rehab on a hamstring injury over the break, expected to be available. He will likely fill in at centre-back alongside Joel Matip, who, for once, is not one of the injury concerns.
Naby Keita, who was on the bench against City, seems to have recovered from his minor issue. He played 180 minutes for Guinea over the break, and could join Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum in midfield, should Klopp revert to a 4-3-3 in the absence of Salah.
Klopp has previously been a harsh critic of the Premier League's scheduling in this busiest of seasons, and he's not the only one, with Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left in disbelief after his team were forced to face Everton less than 72 hours after travelling home from Istanbul in the Champions League. Both managers have been told by the Premier League that scheduling is not up for negotiation.
Source: 90min
