Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara could be available for next month’s trip to face Real Madrid.
Thiago has missed the last three games for Liverpool, a hip injury keeping him on the side lines. In his absence, the Reds haven’t done too badly. Two Premier League wins and two clean sheets were good going, even if a 5-2 defeat against Madrid on Tuesday tempered that feeling.
Who knows whether Thiago would have made a difference to the scoreline at Anfield. But as one of Liverpool’s best players, it would have been nice to have had him on the pitch regardless.
Early diagnosis of his injury had seemingly put paid to him featuring at all across the two legs. As per The Telegraph today though, there’s a chance that the 31-year-old could be ready in time.
Thiago hoping to aid Liverpool’s search for a miracle
At least three goals without reply are needed at the Bernabeu on March 15th. With the best will in the world, it probably won’t matter who’s out on the pitch for Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp could stick prime Pele out there and they’d still comfortably be second favourites in Madrid.
But having your best players available always helps. Despite the fact that he’s come in for plenty of criticism during his Reds career, Thiago is still very much one of those.
Had he been fit to play on Tuesday, it would have negated the need to keep young Stefan Bajcetic in the side.
Bajcetic largely did well against Luka Modric, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga, but his inexperience showed at times. On these raucous Champions League nights, a lot can be said for having players out there who’ve been there and done it.
With two Champions League winners medals to his name, Liverpool’s No.6 fits into that category. Bajcetic himself has called his older teammate ‘amazing.’ If he’s fit, he’s still in Jurgen Klopp’s best XI.
So, even if it doesn’t mean they get through to the quarter-finals, Thiago being available gives Liverpool a better chance of salvaging something, anything.
As a former Barcelona man, the Spain international will have been gutted to have missed Tuesday’s game. If he can get back and help Liverpool to a positive result next month, that would be great.