The forward has been nurturing a muscle issue but his coach is hopeful he will be available for selection against league leaders
Jurgen Klopp is hoping Sadio Mane will be available for Liverpool’s clash with Manchester City on Sunday.
The Senegal star has missed the last two games of the Reds with a muscle issue. And although his team-mates managed to be very present in the win at West Ham last Sunday, they were away without him after Wednesday night, losing 1-0 at home to Brighton.
The case, the second in a row at Anfield after 68 unbeaten home league games, leaves their title hopes hanging with a threat. The champions sit in fourth place, seven points behind Manchester City leaders, who are also boasting a game in their hands.
Sunday’s win, then, is crucial for Klopp’s side, and the German is hoping for a boost when Mane returns for Pep Guardiola’s men’s goal.
“[With] Sadio we’ll see, ”Klopp told his post-match press conference. “It might be available for the weekend, I don’t know. He did not train with the team today. We’ll see. “
Klopp was also without Brazilian star Alisson Becker and Fabinho to beat Brighton. Fabinho is nursing a muscle problem, while Alisson became ill the morning of the game. Both have a chance to appear against City.
Klopp suggested that Diogo Jota, however, could be as much as four weeks ago from his return, despite being pictured recovering from a knee injury this week.
“Diogo – I don’t know exactly – is a week or two, two, three, four. I’m not sure, ”said Klopp.
The 53-year-old had no complaints about his latest loss, his fourth in the league, revealing that his players were “mentally fat” after recording attractive wins over Tottenham and West. Ham in the past week.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve looked like this – obese, obese,” Klopp said. “And that means that the legs are not the best either. It was a tough week and today we weren’t fresh enough, which means then that wasn’t good enough to break Brighton’s creation.
“We had two tough games and we are not depressed, like depression or whatever. Just tonight we weren’t fresh enough mind, that’s for sure.
“That’s what I mean and not to be depressed or whatever. Don’t forget that I’m not a native and don’t make stories about my bad English. So we weren’t new enough here, that’s true, and that’s what we have to be. “
He said: “I know and you also know how good football can be. There are probably two reasons. One of them is that they don’t want to, and I think even you would agree with me that that may not be true. So why didn’t it work? These are the things we need to figure out. “