Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Darwin Nunez "might be in contention" for Liverpool's game against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon - but it is too early to say for sure.
Nunez, 23, has missed Liverpool's last two fixtures in all competitions with a leg injury, including the 1-0 FA Cup triumph against Wolves on Tuesday night. Klopp will be keen to have the Uruguayan available for the crucial mid-table clash against the Blues.
Liverpool and Chelsea are enduring tricky Premier League campaigns. the Reds are ninth - 10 points behind Manchester United in fourth - while Graham Potter's side are 10th. The Blues have the same amount of points as Liverpool but have played a game more.
Klopp was asked whether Nunez and Kostas Tsimikas will be fit for Saturday afternoon's Premier League clash at Anfield after Liverpool's win against Wolves. Tsimikas picked up a knock on Tuesday night but did manage to complete the third-round replay.
Klopp told reporters: "Yeah, yeah, we have a couple of days training. I don’t think it would be right after one game to say that’s the team for the next eight weeks or whatever. Let’s have a look. I hope that Darwin is coming back and training tomorrow (Wednesday) or Thursday.
"He might then be in contention. Kostas got a knock in the back, so let’s see how they recover. We have now this game and four days to train and after that five or six of days of training until the next game.
Are you concerned about Liverpool's and Chelsea's top-four hopes? Let us know in the comments below!
"It’s always like this, it’s always about who shows up in training. The door is open for everybody. We have to fight and whoever is ready to fight has a good chance to play."
Liverpool's and Chelsea's woes can be blamed partly on their respective injury lists. Klopp is also without Luis Diaz (knee), Diogo Jota (calf), Virgil van Dijk (hamstring), Arthur Melo (thigh) and Roberto Firmino (leg) with three days remaining until the visit of Chelsea.
Chelsea boss Potter, meanwhile, is without 10 first-team players: N'Golo Kante (hamstring), Raheem Sterling (hamstring), Joao Felix (suspension), Denis Zakaria (thigh), Reece James (knee), Wesley Fofana (knee), Ben Chilwell (hamstring), Armando Broja (knee), Christian Pulisic (knee) and Edouard Mendy (finger).
Potter is fortunate that Chelsea chair Todd Boehly has already brought in four senior reinforcements this month. They've signed defender Benoit Badiashile, winger Mykhaylo Mudruk and forward David Datro Fofana, as well as suspended winger Felix on loan.
Klopp has welcomed just one new addition to his squad this month in Cody Gakpo, who completed a £45million move from PSV Eindhoven at the beginning of the window. More signings are unlikely due to Liverpool's limited budget.
Transfers aside, Klopp and Potter will be aware of just how important Saturday afternoon's must-win game is. A defeat for either side will allow Newcastle the chance to open up a 13-point gap on the loser by winning at Crystal Palace on Saturday evening.
