While Liverpool prepare to welcome back a star centre-back in Joel Matip, Southampton could be about to lose one of their own with Virgil van Dijk supposedly a doubt for tomorrow night’s game.
The Dutch defender was instrumental in his side’s 1-0 win in the semi-final first leg but could miss out on the second meeting as a result of an injury he picked up against Leicester at the weekend.
Saints manager Claude Puel told Southamptonfc.com: “van Dijk, he is having a scan and I am waiting for the results at the moment.”
“It was a good kick on his ankle, and he could not continue in the game yesterday. It’s not serious, but I don’t know if he can participate in this game. We will see in the next days before the game.”
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We know what it’s like to lose our best players to injury which is why we rarely enjoy seeing a talented opposition player miss out on playing, especially in such an important game.
Having said this, no van Dijk would be an immediate boost to our chances of overturning the 1-0 deficit that we are up against.
It is no wonder Steven Gerrard has identified the 25-year-old as an ideal transfer target for Liverpool. He has been outstanding and has proven to be a difficult man for our forwards to get past this season.
Virgil van Dijk or not, though, we will need to be at our very best to overcome a dangerous Southampton side tomorrow night.