The latest on injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum is mixed news for Liverpool.
The Reds are missing a host of key players at this crucial stage of the season, and this has coincided with a drop in form that led to back-to-back 1-1 draws with Leicester and West Ham.
This has far from derailed their title push, as ahead of Man City‘s clash with Everton on Wednesday night they are still three points clear, though it has proved a setback.
In the wake of the stalemate at London Stadium, positive news emerged that Oxlade-Chamberlain had been included in Jurgen Klopp‘s revised squad for the Champions League knockout stages.
But according to the Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe, it is highly unlikely he would feature against Bayern Munich in either leg of the last 16.
Liverpool remain cautious over his recovery, despite previous reports suggesting he will be back in full training as early as late February, and Bascombe claims he is unlikely to be back in action until April.
He describes Oxlade-Chamberlains inclusion in the Champions League squad as “insurance” for if the Reds progress beyond the last 16 and he proves his fitness in the coming months.
Meanwhile, more positively, shorter-term injuries to Alexander-Arnold and Henderson could be resolved for Saturday’s league clash with Bournemouth.
Alexander-Arnold has missed the last three games with an ankle injury picked up in the warmup for the 1-0 win at Brighton and then aggravated as he was kept on for the full 90 minutes at the Amex.
And the captain was forced to sit out of Monday night’s draw with West Ham with a muscle problem, with Klopp explaining after the game that he “didn’t know how long it will take.”
But Bascombe reports that “neither has yet been ruled out to face Bournemouth,” which would be a big boost if they are able to return.
However Wijnaldum, who like Henderson was unable to take to the field in east London due to a knee issue, “is not expected to be fit,” which deprives Klopp of arguably his most consistent midfielder for another big game.
Joe Gomez underwent surgery to repair his fractured leg on Monday, while there is yet to be an update on Dejan Lovren‘s hamstring problem.
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