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Liverpool defenders Joe Gomez
Liverpool defenders Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren will return to the squad for Saturday’s Premier League trip to basement club West Bromwich Albion, manager Jurgen Klopp said.
Gomez featured in training this week for the first time since sustaining an ankle injury on international duty with England last month, while Lovren returned from a knock he suffered during last weekend’s league win over Bournemouth.
However, Klopp confirmed that right-back Nathaniel Clyne is expected to miss the match at the Hawthorns due to an injury.
“Clyney struggled a little, he had a little muscle issue – unfortunately after a completely normal session. He is probably not available for tomorrow,” Klopp told a news conference on Friday.
“All the rest are available. Joe is back in full training, Dejan had only a little bit longer recovery but he trained yesterday as well.”
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s top scorer with 40 goals in all competitions, needs one more goal to equal the record for most goals in a 38-game Premier League campaign jointly held by Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez.
“We don’t have to think too much about that. It’s not that we start now trying to bring him into situations where he will score,” Klopp added. “In the end, if Mo is at his best then he will be a goal threat.”
The Merseyside club have one eye on Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal first-leg against AS Roma on Tuesday but Klopp has dismissed the idea of resting his key players at West Brom, who handed Manchester City the league title last weekend with a surprise away victory over Manchester United.
“We have to line up a really, really strong line-up. We respect always the intensity of the season,” the manager said.
“We lost in the FA Cup (to West Brom) – I don’t need to remind anybody of that. After the game then we have to think about Rome, there is no other way.”
Liverpool are third in the league, two points ahead of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with four matches remaining.