Amid the spate of injuries with which Jurgen Klopp has had to contend, Liverpool have been given one ‘big boost’ ahead of tonight’s Carabao Cup clash against Fulham, in the words of one former Manchester City defender.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that Trent Alexander-Arnold has joined the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson on an extended injury list at Anfield, on top of the absences of Mo Salah and Wataru Endo on international duty for the rest of January at least.
However, Pep Lijnders did confirm one antidote to the succession of bad news on Tuesday in stating that Virgil van Dijk will be available to face the Cottagers, having shaken off the illness which ruled him out of the FA Cup win at Arsenal on Sunday.
Speaking on ESPN FC, Nedum Onuoha says that Fulham have an ideal opportunity to take advantage of the extensive list of Liverpool absentees, although he added that the return of the Reds’ captain is huge for his side.
The pundit stated: “I think this is a great chance for Fulham, a great opportunity, but the downside is that it’s at Anfield, which is essentially a fortress.
“I think the game itself is probably going to be closer than it would have been if Liverpool had some of their stars there. Liverpool are without their right side, without key midfielders, key forwards.
“The fact is that Van Dijk’s coming back, which is a big boost for them, I think it’s going to be a very, very exciting game. As far as I see it, Liverpool take no backwards steps and I don’t think Fulham do, either.”
With the Reds not playing again until 21 January, and Van Dijk sitting out the win at Arsenal, there should be no qualms about starting him tonight.
Indeed, his return should add greater stability to a defence which’ll likely see Joe Gomez continuing to deputise at left-back and Conor Bradley coming in on the right to compensate for Trent’s absence.
Having the captain back for the Fulham game could be exactly what Liverpool need ahead of what promises to be a fiercely-contested clash, if the 4-3 thriller between the teams at Anfield last month is any barometer.
You can view Onuoha’s comments below (from 2:21), via ESPN UK on YouTube: