Joel Matip and Jordan Henderson expected to be fit to face Man United

Key Liverpool players Joel Matip and Jordan Henderson are due to recover from injury to feature against Manchester United on Sunday.

The duo have been sidelined for seven games and three games respectively, and the Reds have certainly missed their influence, with results suffering.

Without Matip (ankle) and Henderson (heel), Liverpool have drawn with Sunderland in the Premier League and Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup, and lost to Southampton in the League Cup.

Wednesday night’s 1-0 loss in the semi-finals against the Saints was most eye-opening, and increases the pressure ahead of a trip to Old Trafford at the weekend.

But Jurgen Klopp is set to be boosted by the return of both Matip and Henderson, according to the Liverpool Echo.

They are set to rejoin full training on Thursday, improving Klopp’s options for a must-win fixture.

This leaves Klopp with no major injury problems, with only Adam Bogdan (ACL) and Danny Ings (knee) occupying the treatment room at this stage.

Philippe Coutinho made his comeback in the defeat at St. Mary’s, while Marko Grujic returned to training in the buildup to that clash—though it is unclear when he will be available.

Liverpool's Joel Matip in action during the Premier League match at White Hart Lane Stadium, London. Picture date August 27th, 2016 Pic David Klein/Sportimage via PA Images

Though Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan had initially impressed as Klopp’s centre-back pairing in Matip’s absence, the 25-year-old has been missed at the heart of defence.

It was Klavan’s error that led to Nathan Redmond’s winner in the first leg against Southampton, and the Estonia international has proved inconsistent when called upon.

Liverpool are still yet to lose when Matip has started, with each of their three defeats—against Burnley, Bournemouth and the Saints—coming when he has been ruled out through injury.

Henderson is similarly important, with the captain taking to his new role as Klopp’s No. 6 effectively.

Lucas Leiva started strongly in Henderson’s place at St. Mary’s, but soon faded, with his lack of mobility and the tactical intelligence to dictate play proving to be an issue.

Furthermore, Henderson’s contribution to Liverpool’s pressing game was notably missing, heaping more onto Adam Lallana‘s workload, with the No. 20’s conflicting duties nullifying his impact.

To have Matip, Henderson and Coutinho back in the starting lineup against United would be a major lift for Klopp and the Reds, with victory over Jose Mourinho’s side paramount.

If they are able to do so, they will keep up their push for pole position in the Premier League.

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