Jurgen Klopp today revealed Lucas Leiva is back in the Reds’ squad for Sunday’s match against Stoke City, with the midfielder playing in a behind closed doors friendly with Burnley on Friday.
The Brazilian midfielder has been out since the League Cup final, when he picked up an injury taking his penalty in the shootout.
He will be a strong contender to start against Mark Hughes’ side at Anfield, with Emre Can serving the first of his two-game domestic ban, and Jordan Henderson out with what Klopp described as a “serious” injury.
However, Klopp says that Henderson could return for the final two games of the season, and thus keep him in contention for the England squad for the European Championships this summer.
“It’s serious, but maybe there’s hope for us for our last two games and there’s hope for the Euros,” he said.
The manager explained that changes would have to be made for the league match, but insisted it wasn’t about resting players, but about putting out the best available side to face Stoke.
Kevin Stewart, who was injured shortly after making his league debut as a sub at Aston Villa, is also back available.
Joe Allen is almost certain to start the match after an impressive second half showing in Dortmund, with Lucas then likely partnering him.
Klopp said that decisions on availability will be made after training on Saturday afternoon.
Watch Klopp’s pre-match press conference:
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