Injury Boost For Arne Slot & Liverpool As Duo Close In On Return
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot provided some positive injury news at his pre-match press conference ahead of his team's clash with Everton on Saturday in the Premier League.
The Reds make the short trip across Stanley Park with the opportunity to open up a ten-point gap at the top of the table before second-placed teams Chelsea and Arsenal take to the field.
Whilst Liverpool's form has been scintillating of late, it has come at a cost, with Slot having been without several key players over recent weeks.
Alisson Becker, Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate and Kostas Tsimikas are all still absent, but there was positive news from the Dutchman concerning Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa.
As confirmed by David Lynch on X, Slot confirmed that both forward players are 'close' to a return, which will be a huge boost to the squad with Liverpool playing everything three days at the moment and continuing to do so during the busy festive period.
Arne Slot says Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa are both "close" to being back.
— David Lynch (@davidlynchlfc) December 6, 2024
Chiesa returned to action for the under-21s in midweek and scored in the 4-3 defeat to FC Nordsjalland, so it would not be a surprise to see him make the squad for the Merseyside derby.
Portugal international Jota has not been seen since picking up an upper-body injury against Chelsea in October but was a regular starter before then. His return would give Slot another central striking option, with Darwin Nunez struggling for form.
As to whether he will make the squad for the visit to their neighbours remains to be seen, but it appears that his return is now just a matter of days away.
The match at Goodison kicks off at 12:30 pm on Saturday, and watch out for more coverage of the crucial clash on our website.
Mature Liverpool Enthusiast. LFC Transfer Room contributor & writer since 2021.