Liverpool’s Champions League success could genuinely hinge on the Thiago Alcantara injury.
The Spain international went off injured midway through the victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.
And with Jurgen Klopp’s side having a Champions League final against Real Madrid tomorrow, well the timing was less than ideal.
The former Barcelona maestro has been a revelation for Liverpool this season following a difficult first year at Anfield.
And if he cannot play tomorrow night in Paris, no doubt Carlo Ancelotti, the Real boss, will be secretly delighted because Thiago is that much of an influence.
Naby Keita could and probably will start in midfield if the Spaniard is unavailable.
But Paul Merson, speaking to Sportskeeda, believes that Klopp could make a shock call by starting James Milner instead as a result of the Thiago Alcantara injury, if he’s absent.
He said: “If Thiago Alcantara is not fit enough to start, I think Klopp could turn to the experience of James Milner ahead of Naby Keita. The Englishman plays it safe and gives a lot more without the ball than Keita, which could swing the argument in his favour.”
This would definitely be a surprise, given that Milner has only managed 212 minutes of Champions League football this season – and not to mention that he’s 36 and set to leave Anfield this summer, as things stand.
There’s no doubt that Keita is the smart bet by the German manager, but Klopp is capable of brazen decisions such as this and it’ll be fascinating to see what happens.
Fortunately, the Liverpool boss might not have to make this decision at all, on the back of a development today that the Reds are expecting Thiago – and Fabinho – to be available against Ancelotti’s troops.
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