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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Luis Diaz returns as Darwin Nunez absence explained for Liverpool against Leicester

Jurgen Klopp makes two changes to his Liverpool team as Jordan Henderson and Luis Diaz return at Leicester City.

The Reds are looking to keep the heat on both Manchester United and Newcastle United as the chase for the top-four enters the final weeks of the Premier League campaign. Victory will close the gap on fourth to just a point.

And Klopp has restored captain Henderson to the midfield as Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez drop out from the 1-0 win against Brentford nine days ago. Nunez misses out entirely with the Uruguay international suffering a minor toe injury and therefore not part of the squad at the King Power but has travelled with the team.

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Klopp said: “Yesterday we trained and he looked OK but afterwards he said he felt something in his toe so we had to make a decision."

Diaz's return means Cody Gakpo moves further forward and leads the line with Mohamed Salah starting on the right of the front three as he aims to break the 20-goal barrier in the league for a fifth time.

Henderson is joined by Fabinho and Curtis Jones in the middle with right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold once more expected to drift in-field into central areas when in possession.

The rest of the back four remains unchanged as Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson all start at the King Power Stadium.

Arthur Melo returns to a match-day squad for the first time since the goalless draw at Chelsea in early April.

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.

Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Milner, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Carvalho, Arthur, Matip.

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