A massive injury boost for Liverpool fans, confirming that Naby Keita will be travelling to Lisbon with the squad for their Champions League group stage clash against FC Porto. Naby Keita was nursing a vague injury picked up during their 3-0 win against Norwich City.
In the press conference after Liverpool’s 3-3 draw against Brentford in the Premier League – which Keita has missed due to injury – Jurgen Klopp remained uncertain about the midfielder’s return, but Guinea international was spotted practising with the first team on Monday.
As mentioned by Goal reporter Neil Jones, Keita trained with his teammates and is likely to board the flight to Portugal. He was among the 25 players who took part in the training session that was overseen by Klopp.
Keita joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig for 60 million euros but has found games difficult to come by. He made just 82 league appearances in three seasons thus far, but Gini Wijnaldum’s exit has opened doors further for him to be a regular pick in the side.
One of the most highly-rated box-to-box midfielders in the world, Keita is yet to have his big season with Liverpool, and many fans are expecting him to come to life in 2021/22. He made four appearances in the league and scored once against Crystal Palace, where he came in at the hour mark for the Reds.
Keita started in the midfield three alongside Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara in their 3-2 win against AC Milan and is expected to feature in most of Liverpool’s big games in the midfield.
Liverpool are currently off to a stellar start in the league, and dropped points only on two occasions, against Chelsea and Brentford. They are yet to be beaten in the league since losing to Fulham at Anfield. Having dropped points in their last game, they’ll be expected to bounce back strongly in this game.
The 2019 champions of Europe’s most elite club tournament, Liverpool will next face FC Porto before hosting Atletico Madrid at Anfield. They are currently in one of the most intricate group of the Champions League, drawn alongside Milan and Porto, and Atletico Madrid, who reached the finals twice in the last decade.
