Liverpool prepare for what will be the biggest game of the Premier League season when they travel to face title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, as the top two go head-to-head and are separated by just a single point with eight games to play.
Jurgen Klopp has been able to take advantage of his fully fit squad of late, but midfielder Fabinho picked up a nasty head injury in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg victory over Benfica, in what could have been a potential scare ahead of this weekend.
Here is all you need to know about the current state of play at Anfield as well as the expected return date for the Brazilian midfielder.
Liverpool headed into Tuesday’s Champions League encounter with Benfica with a fully fit squad as they set about making their mark on the tie in order to give themselves a big advantage heading into next week’s second leg at Anfield, and they did just that by securing a 3-1 victory.
And having a fully fit squad enabled Klopp to rotate things for their trip to Portugal, while having the luxury of still being able to field an incredibly strong side, as the German made six changes to the side that beat Watford 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.
But one of the players who restored their place in the starting lineup was Brazilian midfielder Fabinho, who came in for Jordan Henderson from the weekend after coming off the bench to score an 89th minute penalty to seal all three points for the Reds against the Hornets at Anfield.
Do Liverpool stand a better chance of beating Man City with Fabinho in their side? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Fabinho played a starring role in Liverpool’s victory over Benfica on Tuesday night, featuring for the full 90 minutes at the Estadio da Luz, but gave Klopp and Liverpool fans an almighty scare after going down after a clash of head with former Man City defender Nicolas Otamendi, which required lengthy treatment.
Thankfully, it was in the dying embers of the game after the tie had already been won, but nonetheless, an injury to one of their key players is the last things the Reds need right now as they enter the business end of the season, and especially since they have a crucial game in the race for the title this weekend.
However, Klopp has revealed that Fabinho is in a good condition and expects him to feature against Pep Guardiola’s side this weekend. He said: "There’s a little cut. He’s fine, that’s how it looks. He had a cut on the back of his head and obviously there is no hair that could hold the blood back. That’s why they needed a bit of time, but he should be completely fine."
Elsewhere, it is unknown as to whether or not Fabinho was the only one to come away from Tuesday’s game with an injury, although it can be expected that further details will be revealed during Klopp’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Man City game this week.
Mohamed Salah was substituted for the second game running against Benfica on Tuesday but Klopp has played down any rumours of problems surrounding the Egyptian forward, saying: “In that situation everyone wants to score. With all the stories around him at the moment it is clear Mo wants to score as well. It is a tough period for Mo and Sadio.
“Both boys came back from Africa and it is not easy – massive pressure on both shoulders, the managers played their part in putting that pressure on. Now it is time for it to settle. It was an important game for Mo and Sadio tonight. One could score, one could not. But everything will be fine.”
