Liverpool news: Medical expert expects Diogo Jota to miss crucial matches as ‘ligament damage’ revealed
Diogo Jota is unlikely to feature for Liverpool in the League Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday (27 February).
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Jota suffered an ankle injury in the 2-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League last Wednesday (16 February).
The in-form Portuguese star missed the Reds’ 3-1 victory over Norwich City last Saturday (19 February), as did fellow attacker Roberto Firmino.
As quoted by the Dail Mail today (22 February), Jurgen Klopp revealed there is “no chance” either player will feature against Leeds United tomorrow.
But Dinnery claims that it is impossible to rule Jota out for the final at Wembley at the weekend.
“The issue at the heart of this is the degree of damage to the ligament,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“Klopp’s initial prognosis suggests that it isn’t as serious as first thought.
“It can be difficult to get an immediate diagnosis when there’s a lot of swelling around that joint.
“He hasn’t been ruled out of the League Cup final. But I would suggest that it would be a push to get him ready and fit for that game.
“You have to look at the players Liverpool have at their disposal. If he was to miss out on the League Cup, then it won’t be too long after that.
“But he does have a slim chance of making that final, I would argue.”
Jota is second only to Mohamed Salah in the Premier League goalscoring charts with 12 strikes in 23 appearances.
The 25-year-old has registered 17 goals and three assists across all competitions.
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