Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Tom Clark

The six Liverpool players Jurgen Klopp will be missing through injury against Arsenal

Jurgen Klopp will welcome Roberto Firmino back into his matchday squad for the clash against Arsenal on Saturday evening following his three-match absence through injury.

The Brazilian has recovered from a slight knock that saw him miss the Reds defeat to Fulham and victories over RB Leipzig and Wolves.

Diogo Jota starred for Liverpool last time out against Wolves and may retain his place as the starting striker against Mikel Arteta's team but Firmino provides Klopp with another fantastic option either from the start or off the bench.

Klopp confirmed the return of Firmino in his pre-match press conference saying "Bobby is back," but the German did not have such good news about a number of other Liverpool players.

Jurgen Klopp previews "tough" Arsenal test

Belgian striker Divock Origi and reserve goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher remain on the sidelines alongside four long-term injury absentees.

Club captain Jordan Henderson has undergone groin surgery and misses out along with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

Klopp confirmed that all his international players had returned to Anfield fit and ready to go on Saturday in a match of great importance to both sides.

Liverpool are currently in 7th place, five points behind Chelsea in the fourth and final Champions League spot, while Arsenal are languishing in 9th four points off the Reds.

Defeat for Arsenal will realistically spell the end of their unlikely league challenge for a top-four place and heap the pressure on Arteta's team to progress in the Europa League.

The Gunners return to European action on Thursday night with a trip to Slavia Prague. The Europa League must now be considered the priority if Arteta wants to return Arsenal to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

A win for the Gunners will see them close the gap to just one point behind the defending champions and whilst Arsenal cannot move up any places in the league it would provide a much-needed morale boost as they head into European action.

Arteta is sweating on the fitness of three key men for the game with Emile Smith-Rowe injured whilst on England U-21 duty, Bukayo Saka a withdrawal from the England senior squad and Granit Xhaka missed training through illness.

One confirmed absence from the clash is defender David Luiz who is nursing a knee injury and is unavailable for the Premier League match.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.