James Pearce is expecting to see the trio of Ibrahima Konate, Thiago Alcantara and Darwin Nunez back in the matchday squad for the upcoming Champions League clash with Ajax.
The Merseysiders are due to pay a visit to Amsterdam to face Alfred Schreuder’s men after having beaten the Dutch outfit at Anfield courtesy of a late Joel Matip winner last time out.
“Yeah just a precaution,” the journalist told The Red Agenda podcast (The Athletic).
“Obviously linked to the fact that, having lost Diaz and Jota in such quick succession, I think that means being extra cautious.
“It was a tight hamstring that forced him off the other night, and then a tight hamstring which made them decide it just wasn’t worth taking that risk on the weekend.
“I’d expect Nunez, Thiago and Konate (who’s now back in training) – they should all come back into contention for Ajax Wednesday night, which right through the spine of the team, that improves Liverpool.”
It’s an injury boost many expected given the light injury concerns for our No.6 and No.27 (ear infection and light muscle injury respectively).
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Whilst we hate to point to injuries as an excuse for poor performance, the reality of the situation is that Thiago’s creativity and the imposing presence of Nunez were both greatly missed at the City Ground as we succumbed to our third league defeat of the season.
The beauty of the Premier League, as Steve Cooper’s men superbly epitomised, is that any side is a genuine threat regardless of form, though it’s still difficult to feel too sorry for us after beating both Manchester City and West Ham in the space of a week prior.
It’s yet another occasion where our momentum has been pulled to a screeching halt.
Though only a draw is required in Amsterdam, this Liverpool side should be pushing itself for nothing short of a win to make up for an appalling performance against the English top-flight’s bottom-placed side.
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