Liverpool must grasp their unique chance to put bad form to bed

Chris Wilder and Sheffield United host a wounded and battered Liverpool at Bramall Lane on Sunday.

Both sides have seen their fortunes dashed and swept aside by circumstance and misfortune, some poor luck, and abandonment by the footballing gods.

Liverpool and her fans are in mourning with their keeper, Allison Becker, the tragic untimely death of his father, Jose in Brazil midweek. Reds hearts go out to Alli and his family in their time of grief and loss.

Liverpool are in trouble

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Scans revealed Jordan Henderson will be out and unavailable due to a groin muscle injury sustained in the Merseyside derby last weekend. It has been reported he will miss six to eight weeks, but Klopp has warned it could even be longer if surgery is required.

This takes him out of a line-up that just can’t afford more midfield or defensive line injuries and the earliest he might return would be in May.

Fabinho is nearing a return but is as yet not match fit to be included in proceedings at Bramall Lane come Sunday. This means Klopp will be forced to field his 18th different centre-back pairing of this tumultuous campaign.

Unbelievable, but true. That’s 18 different pairings in 25 matches to date.

Naby Keita is fit again and should be available for this tie. The further good news, which has been a rarity since the new year for the Reds, is the return to fitness of Digo Jota, who has been sidelined since mid-December.

Klopp and the Reds sit sixth in the league table with a paltry record since the new year, winning just two, while drawing one, losing six, with the last four in a row. This is the worst record over a two month period since Klopp arrived, and much has been made in the media and on social media about the why’s and why for’s of this precipitous drop in form and results.

But now this team has a unique chance to put their bad run behind them. They can’t miss out.