Diogo Jota could play against Crystal Palace tomorrow. The Liverpool forward instantly becomes a last-resort option for the season-defining clash.
Jurgen Klopp says Diogo Jota could face Crystal Palace tomorrow. It’s a surprise, given everyone expected the forward to be missing for the season.
Jota has missed the last two games, of course, after picking up a foot injury against Manchester United. He wasn’t supposed to return before the season was done.
Klopp, though, says Jota should train ahead of the game and could be an option to face Palace tomorrow.
“I don’t know yet. It all looked good and he will probably train today – that was the plan yesterday,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.
“And when he can train, we have a look at how he trains and then we make a decision if he will be involved.”
Diogo Jota could face Crystal Palace
Instantly, Klopp gets a surprise, last-resort option for the game tomorrow. It’s exactly the option he would want.
Liverpool go into the game knowing that a win all but confirms Champions League qualification. Leicester City would need to overcome a five-goal difference to stop them.
This one will be about goals, then. Liverpool go into the game needing to score – and that hasn’t always been easy this season. Mohamed Salah has been the only reliable scorer over the campaign, though Jota would be second.
Having Jota on the bench ‘just in case’ is fantastic, then. And that’s how we think Klopp should play this.
The test for Jota shouldn’t be whether he can start the game – he shouldn’t. Nor should it be whether he’s able to play 30 minutes. Instead, Liverpool need to focus on Jota’s ability to play the last 10-15 minutes as an all-out option.
We back Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane to get the job done. If they do have another off-day, though, having Jota as an option for the final part of the game is ideal.
No need to take any major risks with him – just make sure Jota can be a threat if desperation time comes.
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