Jurgen Klopp will be without Alberto Moreno for the Merseyside Derby, with an ankle injury keeping the Spaniard out as Liverpool face Everton.
Liverpool are perfectly poised and enter the Merseyside derby as favourites over an Everton side that are slowly finding their feet as new manager Sam Allardyce takes charge. The Reds though, will be without Alberto Moreno for the game, with the Spaniard on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
Jurgen Klopp confirmed Moreno’s unavailability for the Sunday fixture in his pre-match conference. But, the manager did iterate that apart from the left-back, there are no fresh injury concerns to deal with – a very positive news for the Reds ahead of the Merseyside derby.
“We need to have further assessment. I cannot say much about it. It’s a very rare thing. So far the specialists aren’t sure [how long he’ll be out for]. Not Everton, but if it’s in a week or so or a little bit longer we have to wait for that. There’s a little damage around the tendons.”
Speedy recovery, @lfc18alberto ?❤️ pic.twitter.com/UhvD5OoOhS
— Liverpool FC Photos (@LFCSnapped) December 6, 2017
Another positive development is Adam Lallana’s potential return for action. The midfielder trained on Friday and is a contender to feature on Sunday. Lallana though, is unlikely to be handed a start and will have to contend himself with a place on the bench, if Klopp does opt to include him in the matchday squad.
The spotlight will be on Liverpool’s ‘Fab Four’ – Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Coutinho and Sadio Mane – who have set the stage alight with their penchant for scoring. The free-scoring run has seen Liverpool pull off some incredible results, with the quartet being hailed as one of the best in world football.
Jurgen Klopp though, has often rotated within the quartet in order to keep all of them fresh and injury-free. However, the manager is unlikely to ask anyone to sit out the Merseyside derby on Sunday and risk the ire of fans and the player who he decides to leave out of the starting eleven.
The aforementioned means that the quartet are almost an automatic pick for Sunday while Alberto Moreno’s absence could thrust Andrew Robertson or James Milner into the lineup, based on Klopp’s choice between youth and experience.
