Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is unsure whether key striker Darwin Nunez will be fit ahead of tomorrow’s lunchtime fixture at Nottingham Forest. The Uruguayan was substituted as a precaution after scoring the only goal in the 1-0 victory over West Ham on Wednesday night.
At his pre-match press conference Klopp said, ‘’We will see, we will see what I get told later.’’
‘’He had treatment yesterday and we’ll have to check his scan.’’
Klopp is expecting an intimidating City Ground. ‘’The atmosphere will be outstanding, that I’m 100% sure.’’
‘’They will want to change their situation.’’
In terms of injuries heading into this game, Klopp revealed: ‘’No injuries. We have two tough games in short succession and now another, we need a closer look who can start. We only have today’s session, yesterday was about recovery.’’
The Reds have also been boosted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Ibrahima Konate returning to training: ‘’From Monday on, Naby and Ibou will be involved in full team training if all goes to plan.’’
‘’Ox is one or two weeks ahead of Naby. What happens in the summer, no-one knows at the moment, but we cannot wait to have him back properly.’’
Curtis Jones returned for Liverpool and played the last 30 minutes of Wednesday’s game, and Klopp is happy to have him back: ‘’It was a tough one, he had freak injuries – a finger in the eye, stuff like this, it’s crazy. The stress reaction came out of the blue. But with young players, like Curtis, he still grew.’’
‘’But it’s exceptional to have him back, he’s an exceptional player, can play in different positions. But again, nothing can replace football training. It’s perfect having him back.’’
Klopp was sent off in the match against Manchester City, and has been charged by the FA after he was seen confronting the linesman but says he unsure when his ban will come into affect. He is anticipating being on the touchline at the City Ground tomorrow: ‘’We just follow the process. In this moment, I expect to be on the bench tomorrow, but I don’t know 100%.’’
In recent games, The Reds’ manager has deployed a change of system, reverting to a 4-4-2 formation, which has secured wins against Manchester City and West Ham, so this could be how they set up.‘’The 4-4-2 has ability to close the gaps we had before. When you get used to things, you lose a little bit of desire for the detail.’’
‘’You have to mix it a little bit. As long as we can, we will make changes and during the game as well – sometimes early, like at West Ham.’’
Reacting to the news that Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has been sacked by Aston Villa Klopp said, ‘’He will come back from that, I’m sure.’’
‘’I’ve been here seven years at Liverpool, we’ve not met a lot for different reasons, but we created a close relationship and I’ve always followed him. We had a quick exchange this morning, but nothing too deep.’’
‘’We all get knocks in life but it’s about how we respond.’’
