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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Liverpool wait on Darwin Nunez and Ibrahima Konate as Jurgen Klopp ponders midfield changes

After a week that veered from the humiliating to the mundane for Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp will welcome the chance to quickly get back to winning ways on Wednesday night.

For what feels like the umpteenth time this season, the Reds will meet Wolves as they aim to change the narrative after a 5-2 humbling at home to Real Madrid on Tuesday was followed up with the most dour of goalless draws at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Ahead of Sunday's visit from Manchester United, Liverpool's fourth meeting with Wolves this term offers them a chance to exact revenge on that miserable 3-0 loss at Molineux just a few short weeks ago and Klopp may just be considering a shuffle of his pack having made four changes at Palace.

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The big question, of course, revolves around the fitness of Darwin Nunez. The Uruguay striker registered goals in successive games against Newcastle and Real Madrid to move up to 12 in all competitions but was forced to miss the visit to Selhurst Park with a shoulder injury.

That problem first flared up when he was tackled by Newcastle's Kieran Trippier in the 2-0 win at Newcastle earlier this month but having battled on with the help of a pain-killing injection for the huge clash with Real Madrid, Nunez was forced to sit it out on Saturday.

The hope is that the issue has healed sufficiently for him to return to the team and Klopp sounded optimistic in south London on Saturday night, saying: "It’s very painful but the day after the Madrid game he got another knock there and he couldn’t move the arm at all. We will have to see how long that will take. That was the reason for him not playing.”

A more informed update will be forthcoming from Klopp when he addresses the media on Tuesday ahead of the game at Anfield. The electric Nunez will be expected to line up on the left of the front three, if passed fit.

The issue then is what the manager does centrally if Nunez is indeed OK to feature. Diogo Jota made his first start for four and a half months on Saturday but has barely played this season due to hamstring and calf issues. After a 70-plus minute cameo on Saturday, will be ready to start once more?

If not, then Klopp could weigh up keeping faith with Cody Gakpo or restoring Roberto Firmino for his first start since November. The Brazilian forward missed 10 games in a row before his recent return this month, however, so he might continue to be eased in gradually.

In midfield, Stefan Bajcetic is vying for a recall after being taken out of the starting lineup for the Palace game. Naby Keita endured a torrid evening in his 45 minutes against the Eagles before he was hauled off at the break for Harvey Elliott. It will be interesting to see how many more chances Keita gets between now and the end of the campaign as his contract enters its final months at Anfield.

Fabinho was another who was out of sorts at Selhurst Park, perhaps being fortunate to stay on the pitch after conceding a handful of fouls during his second-half cameo that saw him booked. The Brazilian has been improved in recent weeks when starting games, however. Might he be restored?

At the back, the options are more straightforward. An update will be forthcoming on Ibrahima Konate after his return to training last week. He could be partnered with Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool aim for four successive Premier League clean sheets, but it is more likely that Klopp sticks with Joel Matip, despite an admittedly shaky performance against Palace.

A return for Konate would be a huge boost for the Reds though. It's been an injury-hit campaign for the France international and he's been restricted to just five Premier League appearances as a result. Like Nunez, an update will be available from Klopp on Tuesday.

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