In a week from Sunday, Liverpool FC will return to action with a Premier League fixture at home versus Brighton & Hove Albion. Jurgen Klopp’s men have a very long injury list, so we’ll get right into it, running the gamut in two portions. Part one, here, focuses on Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Doak and Stefan Bajcetic.
In part two, we’ll cover Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Ibrahima Konate, Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip. So yes, an even dozen, partitioned into groups of six.
Klopp said that the first meeting with Manchester United, the goalless draw in league play back in December at Anfield, was the turning point of this season. Obviously, the more recent meeting, in the FA Cup on St. Patrick’s Day, didn’t go their way at all.
We’ll see what happens on April 7, when the two arch-rivals will meet again at Old Trafford.
It looks like that match will mark the return for Trent Alexander-Arnold (knee- lateral collateral ligament) and Diogo Jota (also a knee, medial collateral ligament).
The return of that duo should have a massive impact on the Reds, with Curtis Jones (ankle/foot) likely to return to the side a week earlier.
We could see him back in action once the internationals are over.
The news is not as good for goalkeeper Alisson. His thigh muscle injury doesn’t have a definitive timeline for return, but it is looking like mid-to-late April at the earliest.
Elsewhere Ben Doak (knee surgery recovery) is done for the season while the timeline of return for Bajcetic (various, supposedly, unspecified injuries) is unknown.
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. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.