Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Darwin Nunez will remain absent for Saturday's Premier League clash with Aston Villa, but Roberto Firmino is expected to be available.
Nunez sustained a toe injury in training prior to Monday's 3-0 beating of Leicester City, and the Uruguayan was forced to watch on from the sidelines at the King Power.
Keeping Nunez company in the stands was Firmino, whose final few weeks at Liverpool have been plagued by a muscular problem, and he has now sat out the Reds' last six Premier League contests.
During Liverpool's dominant win over Leicester, the travelling Reds contingent broke out into song to pay tribute to Firmino, who is confirmed to be leaving the club at the end of his contract this summer.
The Brazilian made his way to the crowd to express his gratitude - being affectionately mobbed by his teammates in the process - and Klopp issued a positive update on his recovery straight after the game.
© Reuters
Addressing the media in Friday's pre-game press conference, Klopp confirmed that Firmino had trained and would be in contention to play on Saturday, in what will be his last-ever Anfield appearance as a Liverpool player.
However, Nunez's inflamed tendon is proving "very painful" for the striker, who will be forced to take his place on the sidelines alongside long-term absentees Stefan Bajcetic (adductor), Thiago Alcantara (hip) and Calvin Ramsay (knee), while Klopp will also serve a touchline ban for his comments about the officials in their win over Tottenham Hotspur last month.
"Darwin will not be available, it's inflammation of the tendon in the toe. Very painful obviously, and he didn't train so he will not be available for tomorrow," Klopp told reporters. "The long-term injuries are still out, but yes, all the rest should be available. Bobby trained yesterday."
On Thursday, Liverpool announced that all of Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner would leave the club when their contracts expire in June, and the quartet will enjoy a final Anfield send-off this weekend on the back of disrupted campaigns.
Firmino and Milner have been integral to Liverpool's spate of trophies under Klopp, but the injury-plagued Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain have found it more difficult to make their mark.
© Reuters
Nevertheless, Klopp hailed all members of the out-of-contract quartet as "Liverpool legends" and will be "forever thankful" for their contributions to the Reds' haul of silverware.
"This game is super difficult for a number of reasons. We have spoken with the boys this week that it's super difficult and super emotional. We say goodbye from my point of view to four Liverpool legends," Klopp added.
"Two of them were here when I arrived, Bobby and Millie. None of this would have happened without them. Ox was unlucky in moments with bad injuries at the wrong moments, when he got injured against Roma, he was pretty much irreplaceable at that moment.
"People will say the same about Naby, he was probably injured a bit too much but if you look back, you see he played in a lot of important games. All four of them won all major trophies pretty much.
"Nothing is forever, that's how it is. I will be forever thankful. They are all phenomenal players and they will get the send-off they deserve. It will be absolutely emotional 100%."
Liverpool head into their penultimate game of the season sitting fifth in the Premier League table, one point behind Manchester United having played a game more than the Red Devils, who travel to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
No Data Analysis info
