Liverpool face Real Madrid in the Round of 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday. Both teams are struggling in the league – well, one more than the other – and both of them look at this competition as something they can salvage the season with. There are a lot of similarities in the squad in terms of injuries, but Real Madrid have had the upper hand, and they might continue to do so.
But that does not mean Liverpool will not try.
Liverpool have had a couple of good games as of late, and their form is decent enough to go into a game with this much magnitude. They have a chance at winning it, but they need all hands on deck.
A couple of those hands are difficult to be placed on deck right now, due to an injury. Darwin Nunez picked up a shoulder injury in their most recent win over Newcastle, and was considered a doubt for the game against Real.
In his pre-match conference, Klopp said that Nunez still can play in the first leg of the knockout tie. That there’s still a chance. Great frickin’ news.
Of course, it is not confirmed, but it’s better than having him completely ruled out of the game. Nunez provides a lot to this Liverpool team, even when he is not scoring goals.
Even when he misses chances, there is something about him that makes a lot of good for the team, and the fact that the Reds might not have to miss that is good news.
Klopp said they’ll have to see how Nunez feels tomorrow, and decide whether to play him on Tuesday or not. Either way, it’s definitely good news.
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Although, if there is a chance of him aggravating the injury, I would much rather have him sit out the first leg and recover properly for the next games, including the second leg. If I were Klopp, I would only play him if he is 100% fit and no less. Let’s see what happens.