Can and Matip Facing Late Fitness Test Ahead of Bournemouth Visit

With only a few hours left until kick-off, Liverpool will asses the fitness of both Emre Can and Joel Matip to see if the Reds duo will be fit enough for the clash with AFC Bournemouth later today after the pair picked up knocks in the win over Everton at the weekend.

“Emre has kind of a full body bruise. Everywhere,” explained Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. “We left him out on Monday because he had back pain, knee pain. Nothing serious, thank God. Really, he has knocks everywhere. I hope he will be fit,” mused the German manager. “Joel had a little bit of a back problem or two. He saw the doc before training so we will see. He should be okay.”

Already dealing with a heavily depleted squad, Klopp could be forced to make even more changes against the Cherries with Estonian defender Ragnar Klavan on standby should Matip be ruled out. The real concern comes in the middle of the park though; considering both Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana are sidelined, Liverpool’s midfield is looking makeshift enough as it is, but an injury to Can could really throw things out of balance. Lucas, who was drafted in to the starting eleven and put in an outstanding shift against the Toffees, will almost certainly retain his spot, but the German manager could be forced to turn to the kids if it all goes sideways.

“We don’t think about what we miss, we think about what we can do to win this football game,” stressed Klopp. “I can’t remember the last time all the players were available and decisions were really difficult to make. It will be a similar line up, but not exactly the same,” added the Liverpool boss. “We have different options. We could bring experience or young boys.”