Sparta Prague vs Liverpool: Liverpool have announced their 23-man squad for their Europa League first-leg tie against Sparta Prague, with the critical inclusion being the returning Mohamed Salah.
Salah has been sidelined due to an injury since Liverpool’s Premier League victory over Brentford two and a half weeks ago but has resumed training with the team and journeyed to Czechia.
Liverpool faces the current Czech champions in the initial match of their series, scheduled to start at 5:45 pm GMT at Stadion Letna this Thursday.
Regarding Salah’s condition, the manager commented during the pre-match press briefing,
“He’s joined us, having trained for two days and is brimming with energy. We’ll assess the situation, adding, While we’re being cautious, it’s a crucial time in the season, and we need all hands on deck. Now, we’ll monitor how long he can play, which applies to him and other players. It’s certainly positive news.
Dominik Szoboszlai is again available for Klopp after returning from injury to play in last weekend’s match against Nottingham Forest in the second half of last weekend.
The manager explained, “It wasn’t an injury that caused daily pain, but he was restricted from full training due to muscle injuries. Hence, we had to proceed cautiously with his recovery.
Despite Szoboszlai’s readiness to join team training weeks ago, medical advice dictated a delay. He’s back, has some minutes, and will be in the squad. We’ll see how things progress.”
Also traveling with Liverpool to Prague is Mateusz Musialowski, who could make his first senior appearance for the team, and Adrian, who is part of a Europa League squad for the first time this season.
Liverpool will be without Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Joel Matip, and Thiago Alcantara.
On the other hand, Sparta’s coach, Brian Priske, mainly shared good news about his team’s health during a media session on Wednesday.
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After last weekend’s scoreless match against Slavia Prague, the team assessed the conditions of several players, including Filip Panak. Lukas Haraslin, the team’s leading scorer, made a comeback in that match after missing the previous game due to injury.
Priske has finalized his starting lineup against Liverpool and informed his players of the decision.
Priske stated, “The team is well-prepared; they received the lineup today [Wednesday], as is our routine,” emphasizing the importance of providing the lineup a day ahead for optimal preparation.
He mentioned the squad is in good shape fitness-wise, though there are a few uncertainties from the past few days.
He added that they had a lighter training day on Tuesday to ensure the players were physically prepared to endure another intense 90 minutes.
Regarding the challenge of facing a Liverpool team dealing with numerous injuries lately, Priske noted the difficulty in predicting their lineup.
However, he stressed that he focuses on understanding Liverpool’s playing style and philosophy and documenting individual talents despite the uncertainties around who will play.
He admired Liverpool’s performance this season, highlighting their goal-scoring prowess and xG creation, indicating that regardless of who plays, Liverpool maintains a high level of quality in both individual skill and team style.
Finally, Priske acknowledged the challenge ahead, asserting that his team is in for a demanding match irrespective of Liverpool’s lineup.
In their last games, Liverpool won 1-0 against Nottingham Forest with a lineup featuring Kelleher, Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gomez, Mac Allister, Clark, Elliott, Gakpo, and Diaz. Meanwhile, Sparta Prague played to a goalless draw against Slavia Prague with Vindahl-Jensen, Vitik, Panak, Krejci, Preciado, Kairinen, Laci, Rynes, Birmancevic, Kuchta, and Haraslin in their squad.
Reference
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/sparta-prague-v-liverpool-europa-league-team-news