There are some benefits to Saturday’s cancellation, which is welcoming players back from injury – and Diogo Jota and Alisson made a big step in training on Friday.
The Goodison Merseyside derby will be moved to early 2025 after a decision was taken to postpone the match due to safety concerns, which has unexpected benefits.
Arne Slot‘s side have extra recovery days before they travel to Girona and it gives Liverpool the opportunity to get players back for the rescheduled match (hopefully!).
And that will include Alisson and Jota, who have missed the last 11 and 10 games, respectively.
On Friday, Slot confirmed that the Brazilian was not “ready yet, but he will be ready very soon,” while Jota was deemed to be “close to being back” in a rare update on the No. 20.
It was promising news to hear from the manager, with training updates later in the day only offering a further boost as they were both involved in parts of training.
Derby preparations ?
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Jota was involved in the gym and as the squad moved to the outdoor pitches, taking part in small-sided games in a huge nod to his ability to take part in contact drills.
The 28-year-old has been sidelined since mid-October with a rib injury, which has required time and patience to heal.
As for Alisson, the goalkeeper was filmed by the LFCTV cameras doing short runs to test his hamstring before joining his fellow ‘keepers in drills with Claudio Taffarel.
He showed no hesitation when required to make quick bursts to one side and then recover before making another save.
It remains to be seen when they will be integrated back into the matchday squad, but the signs are promising that it will be sooner rather than later.
Kostas Tsimikas, meanwhile, was spotted without a protective boot on his ankle, while Conor Bradley did join his teammates in the gym – though Slot confirmed they are still “a bit further away from playing.”
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