Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirms Roberto Firmino will miss the second leg tie against Villarreal
Speaking before the UEFA Champions League semi-final clash tonight, as quoted by LiverpoolEcho, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has given the latest injury update on Roberto Firmino.
Firmino has missed Liverpool’s last three Premier League fixtures due to a foot injury. The Reds star is one of the most crucial players in the squad, and his presence in the starting lineup for the coming Champions League second leg tie would have been a significant boost for the team.
However, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that the Reds’ fans wouldn’t be able to see the Brazilian star feature against Villarreal. The ex-Hoffenheim star played against the Yellow Submarines some 6 years back when we took them on in the UEFA Europa League semi-final.
Even though the 30-year-old has returned from injury, he is still not fully match-fit. The German manager wished to get back his striker soon.
“Bobby is now running, so it is all good. It is very painful; he has a little pain on the bone in the middle of the foot. It is very painful, but he is running. He will travel with us, but he will not be involved in the squad yet. We hope [he is back] sooner rather than later. We had issues with stomach bugs, too, and they are all back.”
Can Liverpool win the second leg without Firmino?
Even though Firmino hasn’t been his best self this term, he has stepped up when required. In the 31 appearances in this campaign across all competitions, the Brazilian has given four assists and scored 11 goals, including a brace against Benfica in the Champions League quarter-final.
Firmino has been a top striker in the Premier League for several years now. He has the ability to make the difference in big games and could have been a big help against Villarreal. However, considering Jurgen Klopp’s comments, our team has to go into the match without the services of the 30-year-old star.
Fortunately, we now have Diogo Jota in our team. The Portuguese striker has proven to be clinical in this term and could fill the void of Firmino. And not to mention, Sadio Mane. The AFCON winner has made the centre-forward position his own in the absence of Firmino.
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With the way that our season has gone, fans would expect us to remain professional and make full use of our 2-0 lead from the first leg. Villarreal fans will certainly not make things easy but we have enough firepower in our ranks to get across the line tonight
