Liverpool pair Alisson Becker and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been declared fit for this weekend’s Premier League game against Fulham. But the Reds will still be without Thiago Alcantara, who is yet to overcome the knock he suffered against Everton back in October.
Fellow summer arrival Diogo Jota is also a doubt for the trip to Craven Cottage on Sunday, although a final decision on his fitness won’t be made until closer to the time.
First-choice goalkeeper Alisson has missed the last three games in all competitions and having the Brazilian back between the posts will be a massive boost for Liverpool, despite the impressive form of Ireland Under-21 stand-in Caoimhin Kelleher in his absence.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has recovered from the knee injury he suffered during a pre-season camp in Austria that has kept him out until now. The 27-year-old has already been training, but manager Jurgen Klopp is wary about throwing him straight back into action.
“Ali will train and if he trains and all [is] fine, then he can play,” Klopp said of his goalkeeper as he addressed the media ahead of the weekend fixture, via the club's official website.
“Oxlade is in normal training. He has been doing parts of training now for a week or so, he is now in full training and we will see. The situation probably demands to involve him as soon as possible, but I don’t know if the weekend is that already.”
Referring in broader terms to Thiago, as well as James Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri, Klopp admitted, “Nobody else is coming back, I’m afraid.”
Thiago has only played 135 minutes for Liverpool since his £25m arrival from Bayern Munich.
The Spaniard made his debut against Chelsea in September, before a bout of coronavirus ruled him out. He then made his full debut in the Merseyside derby, only for a reckless late challenge from Everton forward Richarlison to leave him sidelined for almost two months since.
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Source : 90min