He is a doubt for Liverpool’s match against Chelsea
Liverpool could be without Virgil Van Dijk for Saturday’s clash against Chelsea, after the defender only returned to training on Friday after recovering from a rib injury.
Van Dijk has been a rock in Liverpool’s defence since he signed back in January, and Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to play him in such a big game, but he has acknowledged that it would be a risk.
“Virgil is a world-class player, there is no doubt about that, and if you miss a world-class player it is not cool,” said Klopp.
“If Virgil is fit and can play then he will play, but if not then obviously we have options. His impact is always obvious, but we could play football before Virgil van Dijk and we can play without Virgil, thank God.
“But I prefer that he is fit and available and I can make decisions, if he needs a rest or not in one of the other games. For the last game he was not available but now we will see for tomorrow.”
Should he not play, Klopp is likely to play Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren in central defence. Gomez was rested for Liverpool’s EFL Cup tie against Chelsea, but will return to the starting XI after a solid start to the season.
Van Dijk has today dropped a hint that he will be ready to play, though. The Dutchman took to Instagram to express his excitement for the top of the table clash tomorrow, saying he was “looking forward to another big game tomorrow against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge”.
Whether he will be watching from the stands, or playing on the pitch, remains to be seen. It could be a decision that goes down to the wire.
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