Injury updates ahead of UCL clash
Speaking in a press conference yesterday evening, Jurgen Klopp delivered injury news on two of Liverpool’s key players, Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge. Amidst ongoing transfer rumours, the Brazilian has been absent from the Liverpool squad due to a back injury, however, some sources have been reporting that Coutinho was never going to play against Watford, no matter the state of his injury. Klopp said that there is no update on his situation, injury or otherwise and that he will not even address the transfer speculation until his star man is available for selection again.
On the other side, Daniel Sturridge is also unavailable for tonight’s match with Hoffenheim but could ready to go against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Sturridge suffered a thigh strain while scoring a quality goal against Bayern Munich in the Audi Cup. Klopp said that “he is in a good way”, and although he didn’t make the trip to Germany he should be ready for the first home game of the season.
The boss seemed fairly relaxed while talking about his absentees and assured that there were no surprises, so the whole squad could prepare for Coutinho, Sturridge and Adam Lallana to be out of contention.
Liverpool drawn in Under 18 Premier League Cup
Liverpool Under-18s have discovered who they’ll play in the group stages of the first ever Premier League Cup. The Reds are in Group D alongside Middlesbrough, Sunderland and West Ham. Each team will play each other just once, with the top team from each group qualifying for the knock stages of the competition. However, there is a chance for the second placed side to progress as well, with the two best runners-up from the six groups also advancing.
The Reds interested in Keita alternative
After the hunt for Naby Keita ended a few weeks ago, Liverpool have been searching for a replacement target. According to the Guardian, they have turned their energy to Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri. The 25-year-old has attracted interest from several Premier League clubs, as well as Barcelona and PSG following consistent performances in France last season. Nice have told the Ivory Coast international, who has an asking price of £34million, that they would not stand in the way of a move, should a suitable bid come in. Liverpool have been in contact with the French outfit in the last few days over the availability of Seri, but have been told that no bids will be dealt with until after this week’s Champions League qualifiers have been completed. Nice play Napoli on Wednesday.
Lucas amongst the silverware
Former Liverpool midfielder, Lucas Leiva, has won a trophy during his first game with Lazio. The Brazilian played 80 minutes of the Italian Super Cup against Juventus and was substituted with the scoreline at 2-0. However, a quick fire double from Paul Dybala looked set to take the tie into extra time. Lazio won it in stoppage time thanks to a strike from Lucas’s replacement, Alessandro Murgia in stoppage time. Forgotten Liverpool player, Luis Alberto played the full allocation of minutes for Lazio.
