Liverpool winger Sadio Mane has recovered from his injury and is set to feature in the Champions League 2018-19 group stage match versus Red Star Belgrade at the Anfield on Wednesday, October 24.
The star from Senegal broke his thumb while playing for his country during the International break. The injury was severe enough to make him miss the Premier League against Huddersfield last Saturday.
According to Express, Mane has been announced fit by the team management, but he will be wearing a strapping on his hand to avoid any further injury scare. Mane is expected to be the part of the starting XI alongside the two other familiar faces in the attack: Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
Mo Salah, who hasn't started the season, scored a 24th-minute goal to ensure that Liverpool somehow sneaked past Huddersfield by 1-0. Firmino was benched in that game though, as Daniel Sturridge was given a spot instead of him.
Sturridge returned to the mix recently and was given an opportunity to feature in the XI. Sturridge's performance wasn't good enough, as it is expected that he will be replaced with Firmino for the midweek clash against Red Star.
Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino are ready to reunite with Mohamed Salah to help drag Liverpool's Champions League campaign back on track.
— Anfield HQ (@AnfieldHQ) October 22, 2018
Mané has deemed himself fit enough to return to full training ahead of Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday.https://t.co/8TLIwOMeIz
Keita and Henderson ruled out
There will be some concerns for manager Jurgen Klopp as Naby Keita and Jordan Hendeson were both declared unfit for this crucial game, according to the BBC.
Both the players are suffering from hamstring issues.
Henderson sustained his problem during the clash against Huddersfield, while Keita brought his injury from the international duty.
Sadio Mané has donated 100 shirts to the orphans in Malawi. Their reactions are priceless ❤️ #TSS pic.twitter.com/RtNfGMWKqP
— The Sports Spree (@TheSportsSpree) October 23, 2018
The storage of midfielders may force Liverpool to start with Adam Lallana, but Brazil's Fabinho is also in the race for that spot.
Fabinho made his premier league debut against Huddersfield last week and was quite the talk of the town due to his good start.
Trent Alexander-Arnold had been used as an option when midfielders were not available, but it is expected that he would be playing right-back in the Wednesday's clash. After finding some good results, Klopp will follow his 4-3-3 tactics even in this game.
Predicted Liverpool XI vs Red Star
Attackers: Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah
Midfielders: Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Fabinho
Backline: Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Goalkeeper: Alisson
Read: Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp disappointed despite win over spirited Huddersfield
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