London (dpa)
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp confirmed the possibility of the team's trio, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Alisson Becker, participating in the match against Atalanta, on Thursday, in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
The three players have been absent since last February due to injury, but they returned to participate in training, and it seemed that they were ready to strengthen the ranks of Liverpool, which is seeking to win titles during the final weeks of the season.
Young midfielder Stefan Bajcetic also returned to training, after a long absence from the field since last September, but he is expected to wait a little longer until he participates with the first team.
Klopp said in statements reported by the British news agency, PA Media: We are not in a rush to return the players. Diogo and Trent participated in group training for two or three weeks, and they were in very good condition.
The German coach added: Stefan's situation is relatively different because he has been away for a longer period, but he has been training with the team for a long time, and given the long period of his absence, it is logical that we give him an opportunity to participate with the youth team under 21 years of age and then see what happens.
He said: But we do not plan in the same way regarding the other three players, because they participated in training, and now we are studying how to involve them and exploit them in matches, because we clearly need them, but we need them in the best possible condition, and we want to work on preparing them to adapt to the rhythm of play.
Atalanta occupies sixth place in the Italian Football League table, and ousted the Portuguese team Sporting Lisbon from the previous stage, but it won only twice in the last nine matches. But Jurgen Klopp seemed cautious, saying: There are now only the well-established teams left in the competition race. It is a wonderful thing, and I know very well the value of Atalanta, and its coach Piero Gasperini has been doing a wonderful job for years and years.
Klopp stressed at the conclusion of his statements: Playing against Italian teams remains difficult. From a tactical standpoint, they are characterized by discipline and extreme danger in many aspects, so we must be at our best to qualify for the next stage after the two Atalanta matches.
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