November 19, (THEWILL) – Sadio Mane, Andrew Robertson, and Jordan Henderson are all expected to be fit for Liverpool’s Premier League match against Arsenal on Saturday, according to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
To the chagrin of club management, all three players sustained injuries while on international duty with their respective countries this month.
The encounter this weekend is crucial for the Reds, who are looking to rebound from two disappointing Premier League performances. Klopp’s side were four points behind Chelsea going into the international break after a 2-2 draw with Brighton and a 3-2 loss to West Ham.
While Mane will undoubtedly be available to assist his team recover from these setbacks, both Henderson and Robertson’s readiness has been questioned.
It was one of the concerns Klopp set aside in his Thursday press meet: “Robbo was lucky, we can probably say. It was a little bit DOMS, the intensity of all the games he played probably, rather than anything else.”
DOMS refer to delayed onset muscle soreness.
“He was smart enough to [make] the right decision, he went off early, which he usually is not doing. But in this case it was absolutely right, and so there’s a good chance that he can be involved at the weekend.
“Hendo, a little bit more [injured] than Robbo but a chance for the weekend. So we are working on that. It’s not a serious injury but in this short period of time we have to see if he is ready for Saturday. But after that, 100 per cent, and possibly for Arsenal as well.
“Sadio is fine – painful but fine. Everybody who had a rib bruise knows it’s an annoying thing. But Sad trained here with us now in all sessions.
“We took him out a little bit earlier here and there when we knew now it will be full contact, stuff like this, just to give it a bit more time to settle. But he looks fine.”
The Reds play Porto in the Champions League after their match against Arsenal. Klopp may decide to rest some of his older players against the Portuguese side as Liverpool has already qualified for the knockout stages.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
