Chelsea have received an unlikely boost ahead of their Premier League showdown against Liverpool as Reds’ defender Virgil Van Dijk is struggling to be fit in time for tomorrow’s match.
Van Dijk has been hugely influential for Jurgen Klopp’s side in defence this season and he is one of the main reasons why they are being tipped to win the Premier League title.
The Dutch defender picked up a rib injury against Southampton and is still struggling to make a full recovery from the problem, which forced him to miss training yesterday.
Chelsea had some joy at Anfield in the Carabao Cup as Van Dijk missed the match and Maurizio Sarri’s side could once again cause problems to Liverpool without the presence of Van Dijk.
When speaking about the defender at the pre-match press conference, Klopp said:
He is a world-class player, and if you miss a world-class player it’s not cool but Dejan Lovren played his first game after 10 weeks. He played an outstanding game (against Chelsea). [Joel] Matip has been out injured for a long but played two games in a row, which is fantastic.
If Virgil is fit and can play, then he will play. If not, then obviously we have options and that’s really good. We could play football before Virgil van Dijk, and we can play without him, thank God, but I prefer that he is fit and available!
Liverpool are certainly weaker without Van Dijk, meaning Chelsea will have a great chance of beating Klopp’s side twice in one week.
