Last Updated: February 28, 2021 6:46 pm
Liverpool have this evening provided an explanation for Diogo Jota’s absence from the club’s matchday squad to take on Sheffield United.
Return to form incoming?
The Reds are set to get their faltering Premier League title defence back underway shortly, with a trip to Bramall Lane.
Jurgen Klopp’s men will of course head into proceedings amid a horrid run of domestic form, which has seen them fall to a quartet of successive defeats over the last couple of weeks.
The latest of these came last weekend, when a spirited Everton side secured a rare Merseyside derby victory at Anfield.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 20: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool goes to ground after a being challenged by Ben Godfrey and Lucas Digne of Everton during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield on February 20, 2021 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Paul Ellis – Pool/Getty Images)
Tonight’s matchup, though, represents an ideal opportunity for Liverpool to get things back on track.
Sheffield United of course sit dead bottom of the English top-flight, having managed a paltry three wins across 25 outings to date.
Jota misses out
In turn, ahead of the action getting underway in Sheffield, the starting line-ups of both sides were unveiled a short time ago.
Jurgen Klopp, despite the opposition, has opted for as close to a full-strength XI as possible, featuring star trident Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, and the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Gini Wijnaldum in midfield.
Two Reds stars set to play no part, however, come in the form of Alisson and Diogo Jota.
The former’s absence of course comes following the tragic passing of his father earlier this week, whilst Jota has not featured since picking up a long-term injury early in December.
Liverpool’s explanation for their summer addition’s omission this evening, however, would appear to suggest that Jota has in fact returned to fitness.
As per the club’s official line-up announcement, the Portuguese ‘misses out due to illness’:
Our line-up to face @SheffieldUnited ⚽️
Alisson is absent on compassionate grounds, while Jota misses out due to illness.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 28, 2021
Could a return to the pitch versus Chelsea in midweek therefore be on the cards for the Reds’ gifted attacker?
Sheffield United vs Liverpool live streaming: Watch Premier League online
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This article was edited by Josh Barker.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 26 | 36 | 62 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 25 | 21 | 49 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 26 | 15 | 49 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 26 | 9 | 45 |
| 5 | Chelsea FC | 25 | 16 | 43 |
| 6 | Liverpool FC | 25 | 11 | 40 |
| 7 | Everton FC | 24 | 4 | 40 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 25 | 14 | 39 |
| 9 | Aston Villa FC | 24 | 12 | 39 |
| 10 | Arsenal FC | 26 | 7 | 37 |
| 11 | Leeds United | 26 | -1 | 35 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 26 | -6 | 34 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 26 | -14 | 33 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 25 | -12 | 30 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 26 | -16 | 28 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 26 | -7 | 26 |
| 17 | Newcastle United FC | 26 | -17 | 26 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 26 | -11 | 23 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 26 | -35 | 17 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 25 | -26 | 11 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 17 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 15 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 14 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 13 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 11 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 8 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 8 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 7 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 7 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 6 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 6 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dallas, Stuart | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 6 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 5 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 4 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 4 |
Source: 101greatgoals.com
