Injury expert: Liverpool have already made ‘massive’ Thiago decision
Liverpool have already made a decision over whether Thiago Alcantara will feature against Atletico Madrid tomorrow (3 November).
So says injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Thiago has missed Liverpool’s last nine matches with a calf injury and was not fit enough for the 2-2 draw with Brighton on 30 October.
Speaking to the club’s media team on the eve of the Brighton clash, Jurgen Klopp claimed that Thiago is getting “much closer” to a first-team return.
But Dinnery predicted that tomorrow’s Champions League encounter will come too soon for the Spanish midfield orchestrator.
He told Football Insider correspondent Adam Williams: “Ahead of the Brighton game, he had one full session with the squad.
“He shouldn’t be too far away with Atletico Madrid. He could make the bench for that. That’s a possibility.
“But I think there is a strong possibility he makes the squad for game week 11. These decisions are being made from game week to game week.
“Personally, think it will be a little bit too soon for Thiago to start against Atletico given that he is coming off the back of a fairly serious calf issue.
“In terms of how late they will leave the decision, it depends on a number of factors, including the player’s status.
“You’d think he can be a massive player for them if and when he does come back into the starting XI.
“For Thiago, I suspect that Klopp will already have a fairly good idea about whether he’s going to play or not.“
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