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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Blow

Liverpool get double injury boost ahead of Champions League final but star still absent

Liverpool pair Fabinho and Joe Gomez were both pictured in training on Wednesday ahead of Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid.

Fabinho hasn't played since suffering a hamstring injury against Aston Villa earlier this month - missing the FA Cup final victory against Chelsea - while Gomez suffered a knock against Southampton eight days ago. Both are expected to be fit for Saturday's final, with Fabinho telling reporters "I'll be ready" after Wednesday's session.

But Thiago was not spotted in training. The Spaniard limped out of Liverpool's final Premier League fixture against Wolves on Sunday and remains a huge doubt, although manager Jurgen Klopp told the press on Wednesday that he "has a chance" of playing.

When asked about Thiago's injury on Sunday evening, Klopp said: "Not good, but I cannot say more. He was outside with the families and had his little girl on his shoulders, so he could walk so that’s obviously a good sign. All the rest we will see from tomorrow."

After being pressed for more information on Thiago's complaint, Klopp added: "The lower part of the body. I know it but I don’t want to talk now about it, actually. We will see. Give us a chance. It makes the news not better or worse. We want to wait until we know more about it and then you will get the information as well."

Klopp's definitive update on Thiago's injury could be made at the very last minute. Diego Costa passed a fitness test just hours before the Champions League final in 2014, and so did Jerome Boateng ahead of 2020's showpiece event.

Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez both trained on Wednesday morning (Reuters)

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The bad news for Thiago is both players were forced out of their respective finals in the first half. It's hard for players to make the starting XI for intense fixtures - such as the Champions League final - if they don't train during the previous week, yet not impossible.

Regarding Fabinho's recovery, Klopp predicted he would return to full training ahead of Saturday's final. "Fabinho is training but not with us," said the German on Sunday evening. "He will be at the beginning of next week."

Virgil van Dijk, meanwhile, hasn't played since limping out of the FA Cup final. The Dutchman was on the bench against Wolves, however, and did train with the group on Wednesday. Mohamed Salah was also pictured training after recovering from a groin injury.

Mohamed Salah was all smiles after recovering from a groin complaint (PA Wire)
Fabinho was back in full training after suffering a hamstring injury earlier this month (PA Wire)

Divock Origi will definitely miss the game after suffering a muscle injury ahead of the Wolves game. The AC Milan target will leave Anfield when his contract expires next month, meaning he's played his last game for Liverpool.

"Div is definitely out for the final because he had an injury in the last second of the session yesterday, he had a muscle injury,” said Klopp on Saturday. "Five days will not be enough for him. Apart from that, hopefully Thiago will have a chance."

Liverpool are aiming to win their third trophy this season on Saturday after lifting the FA Cup and EFL Cup. Real are also seeking a third piece of silverware this term after claiming the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup.

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