Joel Matip and Naby Keita have returned to Liverpool first-team training but manager Juergen Klopp is yet to decide if both will be available for Tuesday’s Champions League encounter with Italian side Atalanta.
Matip is poised to hand Liverpool a timely fitness boost as Klopp hopes to navigate his squad through a central defence injury crisis, with both Fabinho and Virgil van Dijk out of contention. Van Dijk underwent a successful knee surgery last week after damaging his ligaments against Everton.
Keita is also set to be part of the travelling group to Bergamo for Liverpool’s third match in Champions League Group D, but fellow midfielder Thiago Alcantara is yet to return to training. “Naby and Joel had a full training session yesterday (Sunday) with the team. Thiago didn’t. So, that’s the situation,” Klopp told a news conference.
“I have really no idea what I do with this information in the moment because yes, they trained, that’s good, it’s better than if they don’t train. But we have to see what we do with it.
“We have another day to make these decisions. A lot of players will be on the plane hopefully, and so decisions will be made late, late, late.”
Atalanta, renowned for their high-octane pressing style under coach Gian Piero Gasperini, defied expectations last season to reach the Champions League quarter finals.
Klopp said Atalanta are Liverpool’s “biggest challenge in Europe so far” and compared the Italian outfit to Premier League’s Leeds United.
“With all Atalanta have done in the last few years, they are a settled team and they are very difficult to play against,” Klopp said.
“They are similar to Leeds in the way they set-up. They are a proper fighting unit. They have all our respect and I know how good they are.”
Suele blow
Bayern Munich defender Niklas Suele has tested positive for Covid-19 and gone into home isolation, the club said on the eve of their match at Salzburg. The 25-year-old Germany centre back is the second Bayern player to be pulled out of action after Serge Gnabry’s false positive test in October. Gnabry has since returned.
“I will think about the line-up for Salzburg after the final training session,” coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “Niklas will not be available. It is not nice and it is one option less for us.There have been many cases in pro leagues and now it hit us. We have to accept it and hope that it remains with that one positive test.”
Tough words
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says they cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to qualify for the knockout stages and the players must be prepared for another physical battle at home to Inter Milan.
“Inter are a good team, very physical and play good football. It’s a final for us,” Zidane told a news conference on Monday.
“There is always talk from the outside about what we have to change, but these guys are competitive. They want to win, and I can say this as a coach. “We always aspire to win everything that we’re involved in, we always want to show that we’re good and that we want more.”
Madrid have struggled as an attacking force since the trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema was disbanded.
