Jürgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool, confirmed this Friday that Virgil van Dijk He is ready to start this Saturday at home to Newcastle and therefore host Real Madrid on Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. The Dutch central defender has recovered from an injury that kept him inactive for almost a month.
Good news for Klopp and for Liverpool at the time the Anfield team dreams, despite the complexity of this season for the ‘reds’, to stand up to Real Madrid (to whom they lost in the last Champions League final 1-0) and achieve the victory of qualifying for in the next edition of the said Eurotournament (where he is 9 points away with a match pending).
Van Dijk was injured in the match that Liverpool lost against Brentford (3-1) and was on the bench in the 2-0 win over Everton on Monday. Klopp explained that Thursday saw him “fully ready to play against Newcastle today, we will see today and make a decision.” The German coach added that Thiago Alcantara and Luis Díaz are not fit to play, while Calvin Ramsay will miss the entire season for the first time due to knee surgery.
This match against Newcastle (4th in the Premier League table and they only lost one game in this championship, certainly against Liverpool and 3-1 on August 31) was key for the ‘reds’, who achieved their first win of 2023 in the Merseyside derby (they beat Everton 2-0).
Liverpool are 9th in the table, 9 points from the Champions League zone, with a game in hand. “It was a great game. We have to pursue everything and more than those above us. It won’t be easy, but we have to try. They have the best defense in the league,” said Klopp, who praised “the extraordinary work” by Eddie Howe, coach of the Saint James’ Park team.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
