Diogo Jota is winning his race to be involved in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup squad – but still has hurdles to clear before getting the green light for Wembley.
Jota, whose goals in the semi-final at Arsenal helped set up Sunday’s date with Chelsea, damaged ankle ligaments during the first leg of the Champions League last 16 tie against Inter Milan last Tuesday and needed to wear a protective boot for most of last week.
Liverpool’s initial fears that he had suffered a significant injury were allayed after a scan in Italy and Jota has responded well to treatment in recent days, so much so that he was able to take part in an outdoor session on the grass on Wednesday.
It has left many within the club cautiously optimistic that the Portugal international will be able to be included in the party that travels to Wembley but, to stand any chance of starting, Jota must come through two training sessions tomorrow and Saturday without issue.
Should that be the case, Jurgen Klopp will have a significant decision to make. Luis Diaz, who has been deputising for Jota, has made a big impact in his opening weeks at Anfield and has staked his claim for inclusion.
The most likely outcome, at this stage, is that Jota will be on the bench – provided everything goes smoothly over the next 48 hours – and his presence in the party would be a huge boost for Liverpool, who are determined to land the first trophy of the season.
One man who will not be involved, however, is Roberto Firmino. The Brazilian, who replaced Jota at the San Siro and came up with the all-important opening goal against Inter, has damaged his adductor muscle and he will not be ready to face Chelsea.
Liverpool are on a nine-match winning sequence – a run that was extended by Wednesday’s 6-0 thrashing of Leeds – and their form is as good as it has been at any stage during Klopp’s six-and-a-half years at the club. There has been talk of an unprecedented quadruple bid but the German is not getting carried away.
‘We have 10 days until we play the next league game,’ said Klopp. ‘We have two games in-between in completely different competitions, one is a final and the other a last 16 (FA Cup tie against Norwich). They will be different games and we have to be ready for them as well.’
