Liverpool have been handed an injury boost ahead of their home tie against West Ham in the Premier League. Sadio Mane was seen limping off in the incredible 4-3 loss against Bournemouth on Sunday but he has been declared fit to play in the clash against the Hammers, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The world’s most expensive African footballer has had a great start to his Liverpool career having scored seven goals already since his move from Southampton. His pace and relentless energy have been the reasons why he has been such a threat to many defences this season and he showed his talent as he scored the first goal in the loss against Bournemouth.
The Reds will need him to fire on all cylinders as Philippe Coutinho is going to be out for quite a while and even Daniel Sturridge seems to be a major doubt for the game against Slaven Bilic’s side.
Players left behind from the Barcelona camp
There were many players who made the trip with Jurgen Klopp to see Barcelona play with Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana and many other travelling but Daniel Sturridge stayed back as he tried to work on his fitness.
Even Joel Matip put in some extra sessions after missing out most of the sessions from last week. The absence of the former Schalke man from the Liverpool defence was a huge loss and that culminated in many shoddy mistakes from the back four.
Fortunately, Matip should be fit for the game against West Ham and Liverpool will need all his ability and experience as they look to get back to winning ways.
Mane too will be looking to continue his scoring ways; he is the top scorer for the Reds with seven goals this season and has also chipped in with three assists in this campaign. The 24-year-old will look to complete his time with the Reds on a high as he prepares to leave for the African Cup of Nations in January and that will be a void that will be hard to fill.
There was some good news for the Reds as Adam Lallana was the player that came on the pitch in place of Mane and the Englishman should be in the running for a starting spot against the Hammers. The Reds have been excellent at home so far this season but they need to be mindful of the quality that West Ham possess.
Bilic could also use old boy Andy Carroll to mess around with a soft Liverpool defence, as he has done in the past. Hopefully for the fans, the bonding trip will have helped sort out some of the defensive issues and the Reds can claim three points as they look to stay in the hunt for a top four place and also a Premier League title.
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