Full Liverpool squad available against Leeds United as Jurgen Klopp picks up double injury

Liverpool meet Leeds United in the Premier League and here’s a look at the full squad Jurgen Klopp should have available

Liverpool return to the Premier League tonight when they take on Leeds United at Elland Road.

The Reds will be looking to build on last weekend’s entertaining 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp’s side came back from 0-2 and took a point.

Liverpool are currently 12 points behind the Champions League places, while Leeds are two points above the drop zone. And in his press conference on Friday, Reds boss Klopp confirmed a double injury increase for tonight’s game.

Klopp has confirmed that Thiago, who came off the bench against the Gunners last weekend, will be considered in his starting XI. Luis Diaz, meanwhile, is likely to be one of the substitutes returning to full training after suffering a knee injury in October.

And with that in mind, below is Liverpool’s full squad likely to be available against Leeds barring late injury concerns…

Goalkeepers: Adrian, Alisson Becker, Caoimhin Kelleher.

Defenders: Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Kostas Tsimikas, Nat Phillips, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Midfielders: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fabio Carvalho, Arthur Melo, Fabinho, James Milner, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones, Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara. Start the conversation

Add to the comments below to share your thoughts.

Forwards: Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Bobby Clark, Ben Doak, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino.

Also….

Ibrahima Konate reveals dressing room reaction to Liverpool possibility and thunderous tackle on Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka

Ibrahima Konate reveals dressing room reaction to Liverpool possibility and thunderous tackle on Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka

If there’s one match that can be considered a microcosm of Liverpool’s rollercoaster season, it was last weekend at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s side showed all sides of their current nature – from incredibly bad to electrifying – as they came from behind to draw 2-2 at former Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Such was their second-half dominance, however, that the Reds once again felt they had fallen short, as they have with all their main goals this season, epitomized when Ibrahima Konate in the closing seconds of a thrilling encounter He couldn’t get enough support in his attempt to bundle Darwin Nunez’s header over the line before Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale made a superb save.

Not that anyone at Liverpool blamed the French for the shortfall. “Nobody blamed me in the locker room, because I put in a great performance,” says Konate. “Personally, I was proud of my performance in the second half. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but maybe at my height it would have been better if someone a bit smaller could like it and decide to shoot or head.” It.

“Obviously we would have preferred to win the game, but in the end a 2-0 draw against the leaders is a decent draw.”

While a series of hot spots roused the Anfield crowd from their first-half stun, none resulted in an immediate boost in volume as Konate’s thunderous tackle that obliterated Granit Xhaka just after half -time.

“It was a top-level tackle, an impressive tackle which not only gave us a boost but also gave the stadium some energy and lifted everyone – the people on the pitch and the team on field.” says the Liverpool defender speaking to a select group of journalists at the AXA academy.

“But I don’t think that’s the only reason (for the team to improve). I think in the second half we all made a change, we all increased our intensity and our levels and we made a big impact, we made more impact as a group of players, which made things better for us in the second half.

“If we can maintain that level of intensity until the end of the season, hopefully it will be good for us to move forward and allow us to perform during the last few games.”

There have not been enough such defining moments from Konate this season, though through no fault of his own. During his final pre-season friendly at home to Strasbourg in July, he suffered a knee injury which significantly contributed to making just four World Cup appearances. And a hamstring injury sustained in January – which saw him miss the Champions League 5-2 at home to Real Madrid – meant that the appearance against Arsenal was only his 17th of the season for Liverpool.

“It’s a bit of a mixed bag, really,” Konate says when asked to look at the past nine months. “First and foremost, it’s hard to sum up a season when there’s a bit left.

“But I saw extraordinary things. The World Cup final was fantastic, it was a sad result at the end and we were all down, but it was an incredible, extraordinary experience.

“I got injured in the summer and it’s never good when you’re away for a long time. What can you do? How would you describe when you get hit in the knee? You try to avoid that kind of impact, but it happens and it’s something you have to deal with.

“You have to deal with it if you’re out for a long time. But overall I’m quite happy with my performance in the games I’ve played this season.”

Indeed, after coming painfully close to adding the Premier League and Champions League to the FA Cup and League Cup medals he’d already collected last May, only a strained leg from Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez prevented Konate from assisting a dramatic late winner for France in a World Cup The cup final was ultimately lost on penalties in December.

Not that the 23-year-old dwells on those setbacks. “I had tough times as a young player,” he says. “Losing two Grand Finals was tough – but it’s something that makes you stronger.

“Hopefully at the end of my career I can look back and say, ‘Look, I’ve had a few disappointments this year, but it’s given me the strength and the motivation to keep winning those big ones. trophies. “That’s my goal. That’s my goal. That motivates me even more.

With Virgil van Dijk now past his prime, Joel Matip in his thirties and Joe Gomez still aiming for his best form, Konate represents the future of Liverpool’s centre-backs. And despite his disappointment this season, he has no doubts he made the right choice when he joined from RB Leipzig for £36m two summers ago.

“My answer to whether or not I made the right decision is to watch that first season,” he says. “I joined a team that was on the verge of winning four trophies. In the end we won two and were just one point away from winning the league and so close to the Champions League.

“My fame has grown as a result of being a Liverpool player. It was fantastic to experience. Even after the season we’ve had so far, what I went through in my first year is enough for me to say ‘yes, I made the right decision’.”