Arne Slot will be a happy man after the latest Liverpool injury update ahead of their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace this Saturday
Arne Slot has welcomed the return of three Liverpool players from injury ahead of a home clash against Crystal Palace. The Reds host the Eagles on Saturday afternoon where another win would drag them closer to securing Champions League qualification for next season.
With fifth place in the Premier League table now enough to clinch passage into the European competition, it’s certainly given Slot leeway to partially salvage what has been a dismal season for the reigning champions.
Currently five points ahead of Brighton in sixth, the Reds require a maximum of three wins in their last five games to mathematically qualify for the Champions League. However, that could change with rivals dropping points as data company Opta give Slot’s side a 91% chance of qualifying for the competition they’ve won six times.
Their chances of doing so will certainly be bolstered by the returns of Alisson Becker, Joe Gomez and Wataru Endo with the trio spotted in training this week. The Brazilian goalkeeper had been absent since the 4-0 win over Galatasaray in March after it was understood he suffered an hamstring injury.
When opening up about his injury, the 33-year-old suggested he was instead undergoing treatment rather than having suffered a new issue. He wrote: “I didn’t suffer a new injury. I’m in the treatment phase, and the plan is to be in full playing condition by the end of April!”
In the case of Gomez, the Anfield veteran was brought on at half-time in the 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month before being substituted himself 22 minutes later.
Slot alluded to a possible muscle injury after the game as he said: “I wanted to make a different substitution and then he said to me: ‘I’m not convinced if I can keep sprinting, I feel a little bit, so I think it’s better to go off not to take the risk’.”
The England defender then missed out on the Merseyside derby this past weekend but has returned to training and will certainly hope to remain fit for his 11th season at the club.
Despite some suggesting Wataru Endo’s season was over after undergoing surgery on a ligament issue in February, the Japan captain has made a stunning return to fitness ahead of the final five games of the season.
The midfielder will hope to play a role in Liverpool’s end to the season ahead of the World Cup where he’ll captain his nation.
A game against fellow Group F side Netherlands and team-mates Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch and Jeremie Frimpong beckons on June 14.