Reds manager Jurgen Klopp will sweat over two key players as he attempts to keep his side’s excellent home run going in the Premier League
Liverpool pair Thiago Alcantara and Alisson face fitness tests ahead of the club’s Premier League encounter with Arsenal on Monday, Goal can confirm.
Neither of the pair trained on Friday and face a race against time to be fit to face the Gunners, though it is not clear what the issue is with either player currently.
Thiago, who arrived for £20 million ($26m) from Bayern Munich earlier in September, was expected to make his first start for the club in the encounter after impressing on debut off the bench against Chelsea in a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
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Joel Matip, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson will all definitely miss the match, meanwhile. There is, however, some positive news on the injury front for manager Jurgen Klopp, who will be able to welcome back versatile defensive presence Joe Gomez after he missed out against the Blues.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have been given a boost that left-back Kieran Tierney has returned to full training ahead of the match after missing out due to an injury sustained in the warm up to their 2-1 victory over West Ham, which also caused him to miss the Carabao Cup third-round victory over Leicester last week.
The travelling side face a monumental task as they try to put a halt to a four-game losing streak in the Premier League at Anfield, with the Reds very much dominant in this rivalry during that period, having scored 15 goals for the loss of only three.
Additionally, Liverpool post a formidable record at home over the last couple of years in the Premier League. From their last 40 matches, they have picked up 37 victories and have drawn the other three, although Jurgen Klopp insists this is not something this team particularly target.
“The only time I think about that number is when someone asks me about it and once I’ve answered the question, I forget it immediately because I am absolutely not interested,” he said.
“We did what we did. We try to win football games and we’ve done that at home in different circumstances, at night time, lunchtime, with supporters, without supporters.
“It is our home and we feel really well there but it is no secret recipe what we have – we never expect to lose but we don’t expect to win.
“It is just we know we have to work and we want to deserve three points, that’s what we want. That is it, pretty much.”
