Diogo Jota could feature for Liverpool in Monday’s Merseyside derby and Jurgen Klopp is hoping to welcome him back against Everton after suffering another serious injury at the hands of Thiago Alcantara.

Liverpool head into Monday’s Merseyside derby against Everton in a bid to get back to winning ways.

The Reds have won just one win in 2023 after losing a crushing 3-0 loss to Wolves last Saturday. Their week only got worse when it emerged that Thiago Alcantara had been ruled out for a month with a hip injury.

But Jurgen Klopp could have some good news ahead of the game as Liverpool assess Diogo Jota’s fitness. The 26-year-old Portuguese striker has been out since mid-October with a serious calf injury but has returned to training. Jota’s absence has been one of many reasons for the Reds’ dismal season to date, one that Everton’s roster at Anfield is keen to change. While the visitors’ lack of pace allowed James Milner to adapt easily, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s creativity is a useful tool against any side in the depths of the game, meaning he should keep his place at right-back despite a string of poor defensive performance.

The same goes for rearguard team-mates Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson, who are likely to start ahead of Alisson Becker. In midfield, Jordan Henderson will have a great performance to offer, while Stefan Bajcetic will make his first appearance in the Merseyside derby.

Without Thiago, Naby Keita is likely to have a chance to impress after Mirror Football exclusively reported that AC Milan were interested in signing him on a free transfer when his contract expires in the summer. Up front, there’s pressure on Mohamed Salah to become the only established striker permanently available to Klopp. The German hopes Jota will be there but Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, who are yet to score or register an assist in six games for Liverpool, should still complete the starting trident in attack.

Jota’s return doesn’t signal the end of the Reds’ injury woes. Liverpool are left without a host of stars, which Klopp gave an update on in his pre-match press conference. “The players are back in training but at different stages,” explained the Reds manager.

“Diogo is the closest he trains now normally for two days and we have three more days of training for him and he’s in contention for the squad I think. Bobby(Firmino), the next one, I don’t know. We have to see how that looks with training intensity and make a decision there. Virgil Van Dijk, I don’t think he’s that close yet. Arthur [Melo] is similar to Bobby I would say.”

Liverpool predicted line-up vs Everton (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Gomez, Robertson; Henderson, Bajcetic, Keita; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.