Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Thiago Alcantara will be unavailable for Liverpool this week for the Reds’ massive Premier League clash against Chelsea.
Speaking to the press via Liverpool’s official YouTube channel, the German manager announced that the Spanish international will miss Tuesday’s trip to Stamford Bridge due to a hip injury, with Klopp saying about the latest on the midfielder: “Thiago, we’ll see how he reacts [to training]. He is not available for tomorrow.”
The 31-year-old has been out on the treatment table since early February, with the £20m maestro suffering the latest in a long line of injury problems that have plagued Thiago’s time at Anfield, with Liverpool missing the Spaniard’s impact on the pitch.
Whilst Thiago is close to returning to the first-team fold, Liverpool could have done with the midfielder returning to the squad this week to face Chelsea in what is already being billed as one of the biggest games of the season for Klopp’s side.
Having lost to Manchester City on the weekend, Liverpool’s chances of a top-four finish are slipping away, yet a win in west London against a direct Premier League could be massive for the Merseyside giants in their quest to pull off what currently looks like the impossible.
Indeed, whilst Liverpool could go to the Bridge and get a result, having Thiago once again absent will be a massive blow for Klopp, who knows that the former Bayern Munich man would have been the perfect weapon for the Reds in their mission to get a result against Chelsea.
Liverpool will have to hope Thiago returns after Chelsea
Thiago’s absence has been felt massively by Liverpool in the last two months, with the Reds crashing out of Europe since the 31-year-old was ruled out with yet another long-term injury. Yet amidst Klopp’s latest comments, there’s a chance that the midfielder could be back very soon.
Whilst Chelsea is a no-go, having Thiago back in time to face Arsenal will be huge for Liverpool, with the midfielder having the potential to drive the Reds to a big win against the Gunners at a time where every three points is crucial for Klopp’s side.