Liverpool moved into an even more commanding position in the Premier League table this weekend by beating Manchester City. And with Arsenal having lost the day earlier, the Reds are now 11 points clear.
Coming up this midweek is another tricky fixture, this time against Newcastle United. Liverpool has a largely fit roster of players to choose from that has not always been the case — even if Pep Guardiola is claiming so.
"They have had no injuries and that is why they could be a stable team," he said at the Etihad Stadium yesterday. "We could not do it, and it is what it is. You cannot achieve what you want all the time. I know how difficult it will be to qualify for the Champions League. I am really pleased with how we have behaved against Newcastle and today."
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Liverpool having had no injuries, of course, is simply not true. Alisson Becker was missing for a big chunk of the season and Diogo Jota has been absent too. Those are the substantial ones, but there have been multiple more minor ones as well.
Reds boss Arne Slot has done well to keep his squad fit for most of the season but that is not by accident. It is also due to him having a roster which has depth, meaning he can rotate at times.
Dutch forward Cody Gakpo, who picked up a knock in the Merseyside derby, has now returned. He came on in the second half against Manchester City and looked sharp enough that he could start against Newcastle midweek.
The only Liverpool players missing at the moment are Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley. The former has had surgery on a muscle injury and will be out for most of the rest of the season, while the latter is unlikely to play against Newcastle but no exact timeline has been placed on his return just yet. Tyler Morton is also out but he would have been unlikely to feature much anyway.
Liverpool.com says: Gakpo should play from the start against Newcastle, as well as Curtis Jones did as a false nine. Getting Bradley back again will help Trent Alexander-Arnold out and aside from that, Liverpool doesn't have too many issues.
