Liverpool

Liverpool fitness update ahead of Chelsea: One star out, one star back

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Jurgen Klopp gives the fitness update ahead of Liverpool’s Friday night clash with Chelsea, with one regular first teamer out and one back.

For this week’s round of an injury update, it’s mostly positive for Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp was not the bearer of bad news.

Philippe Coutinho is 100% and Dejan Lovren can see out of his eye again. He’s ready to go, but Emre Can isn’t as Klopp doesn’t want him re-injured again.

“The players involved in the last game are until now all ready again plus Dejan (Lovren). Not the others, for example Emre (Can). Emre’s not injured anymore, that’s good, but he needs to train, that’s how it is,” said Klopp, via Liverpool Echo.

Can’s had an inauspicious beginning to his 2016-17. But it’s alright, he’ll be fit again soon. Plus, Karius had no set-backs this week and Mamadou Sakho (remember him?) is regaining fitness to be available for selection as well.

“(Can) had a difficult pre-season with coming in later than most of the other players (due to Euro 2016),” said Klopp. “Then he had a bit of an injury, it’s not the best moment until now. He’s still a wonderful player but we have to make him fit. That’s what we do with him, that’s what we do with Mama (Sakho). Loris (Karius) is training a week now so all good.”

Related: Liverpool-Chelsea combined XI

Klopp just about has a full disposal of first team options to choose from, only really without Can, as Sakho and Joe Gomez aren’t looking likely to threaten the strongest XI at the moment even if they were fit.

The manager will have a selection headache, something he hasn’t really had during his inaugural 11 months at the club. It’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds going forward.