Sunday certainly did not go the way that Liverpool wanted, but hey, it could have easily been much worse. Now the Reds roll on, back into the UEFA Europa League, and they’ll do so with Alisson Becker (hamstring), Diogo Jota and Trent Alexander-Arnold (both knee) drawing much closer to full match fitness.
That is where they are right now, in regard to the injury situation. Three more players are coming back into the side soon, while one more will be back in a couple weeks. The other two are done for the season. Let’s break it all down.
Liverpool FC vs Atalanta FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs. Apr. 11, 8pm, Anfield, Liverpool, UK
Competition: UEFA Europa League Quarterfinal Leg 1 of 2
Liverpool Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Fun Fact: Liverpool have won four UEL matches by 4+ goals this season
Liverpool Team News
Let’s start with Alisson, as Jurgen Klopp provided the following update on Wednesday: “Ali is with the GK coaches, but [he] looks good as well. I think in his mind as well, next week parts of team training.”
The German gave the following status update on Jota and TAA the same day: “Diogo and Trent are together in a group, which helps both, but [it] looks like from next week on, they will be hopefully in parts of team training, and then we will see the rest.”
It’s look like not this match, but Sunday being the day that all three will be back available for squad selection.
Meanwhile Stefan Bajcetic is only a couple weeks away at this point while Joel Matip and Thiago are donezo for the term.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.