It’s the definition or irony- as Liverpool FC get all their injured players back healthy, their season falls apart. Thursday will almost certainly see their elimination from Europe. When they were a mash unit earlier on this season, with an overloaded infirmary of senior team players, and thus kids thrust into starting roles, they were leading the Premier League and winning big time cup games.
Now the entire script has flipped, in the most unexpected of ways.
Liverpool FC vs Atalanta FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs. Apr. 18, 8pm, Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo, Italy
Competition: UEFA Europa League Quarterfinal Leg 2 of 2
Aggregate: Atalanta leads 3-0
Liverpool Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Fun Fact: 132 times the away side won the first leg of a UEFA Cup/Europa League tie. All 132 went on to win the tie.
Reds Team News
The only two newsworthy injury concerns, pertaining to the Reds this midweek, are Wataru Endo and Stefan Bajcetic.
The former had to be subbed off yesterday, and is now a doubt for Thursday at Atalanta. The latter is drawing closer towards a return, having built up his match fitness to the point that he will be in contention for selection soon.
Perhaps even here.
Alisson Becker has returned to the first team, so now you just have the three long-term injury absentees: Ben Doak, Thiago and Joel Matip.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.