A 29-man Liverpool squad trained on Thursday ahead of the weekend trip to Manchester City, with Luis Diaz leading a four-man returnee group
The Reds haven’t played since a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid on March 15, but they return to action this Saturday at 12.30 p.m.
Man City will be a tough test when they return to action, but Jurgen Klopp’s side will be preparing for an all-out assault on the top four between now and the end of May.
On Thursday, Liverpool were boosted by the return of four players from injury, including Diaz, who had been out for five months.
Darwin Nunez (ankle) and Ben Doak (head) returned after missing international duty, and Kostas Tsimikas (back) recovered from an injury suffered while playing for Greece.
There was no sign of Naby Keita, who was substituted at halftime in Guinea’s 3-2 win over Ethiopia on Monday, and Thiago, who is still recovering from a long-term hip injury.
Stefan Bajcetic and Calvin Ramsay are the only other players who have been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Cody Gakpo returned to the squad after recovering from an illness that had forced him to leave the Netherlands camp.
The return of Diaz and Doak, as well as the availability of Nunez and Gakpo, adds to a formidable list of attacking options, which also includes Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, and Fabio Carvalho.
Klopp also has a full complement of center-backs, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate likely to start at the Etihad, with midfield being his most important decision.
In the absence of Thiago and Bajcetic, Harvey Elliott and James Milner are the leading candidates, along with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.
The manager will hold his pre-match press conference at 1.30pm on Friday, when he will provide a more accurate update on his squad’s fitness.
Alisson, Kelleher, Adrian, Davies, Mrozek, and Ojrzynski are the goalkeepers.
Van Dijk, Konate, Gomez, Matip, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, and Tsimikas are the defenders.
Henderson, Fabinho, Elliott, Milner, Jones, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Arthur are the midfielders.
Salah, Nunez, Diaz, Gakpo, Jota, Firmino, Carvalho, and Doak are the forwards.
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