As table topping Liverpool head into their final match before the first international break, at Burnley FC on Sunday, their primary fitness concern revolves around their No. 1 Alisson Becker. At his media briefing ahead of the clash at the Turf Moor, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said that Alisson is progressing along, making strides on the comeback trail from his calf injury.
“He has made steps of course, but it was a proper injury, so it will still take time,” Klopp said. “How it always is with professional sportsmen, when you have a muscle thing and it takes long, then it takes a while as well until you can bring the muscle to at least the same level it was before.”
“A calf muscle is pretty important for jumping — and for a goalie, it is quite important that you can jump from time-to-time, so it will take time.”
Elsewhere for Liverpool, midfielder Naby Keita is a few weeks away from featuring as he recovers from a hip injury while Nathaniel Clyne won’t play until the new year, still convalescing from a knee injury.
For the Clarets, they have three players who could be in contention for the first match after the internationals, but won’t feature in this one- Robert Brady (rib), Steven Defour (knee) and Johan Berg Gudmundsson (calf).
Liverpool FC at Burnley FC FYIs
Liverpool Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Kickoff: Sunday, Sept 1, Turf Moor, 5:30 pm
Google Result Probability: Liverpool win 72%, Draw 18%, Burnley win 10%
Odds via Betway: Burnley 15/2, Draw 4/1, Liverpool 7/20
Prediction: Liverpool 2, Burnley FC 0
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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