Liverpool are close to welcoming back Thiago Alcantara and Luis Diaz from injury, but manager Jurgen Klopp will remain "calm" when selecting his side to face Arsenal.
The Reds host Premier League leaders Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday desperately attempting to keep their season alive after collecting one point from their past three games.
Tuesday's 0-0 draw at Chelsea ended a two-game losing run, but it leaves Liverpool 10 points adrift of Newcastle United and Manchester United in third and fourth respectively.
Klopp surprisingly made six changes for the trip to Stamford Bridge, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk dropping out.
Van Dijk's absence was put down to illness, which Klopp confirmed at Friday's press conference he has now recovered from, while two other key men are now back in training.
Diaz has not played for Liverpool since the reverse fixture with Arsenal in October, while Thiago is further ahead in his recovery after spending two months out with a hip injury.
"Virgil is back in training. Luis and Thiago are training," Klopp told reporters. "The plan with Luis is he will be available 100 per cent for Leeds [a week on Monday].
"It was a long injury, so we will have to be careful. We will probably not involve him on Sunday. Thiago is slightly different. He's trained three times and might be available."
Asked if those left out against Chelsea are in contention to start against Arsenal, Klopp said: "We've had one proper [training] session since then.
"The boys haven't shown me they don't want to play. This is not the situation we are in. I have to make decisions about the team based on what I have seen in training.
"That opens the door for everybody. I cannot constantly ask for something I didn't get. I am always really calm in this moment. In the end, we will see what the outcome is."
While Liverpool have struggled for consistency, they have won five of their past six matches at Anfield, drawing the other, including the last three by an 11-0 aggregate scoreline.
Indeed, the Reds have not conceded a goal on home soil in seven hours and 26 minutes of league football stretching back to December.
"Anfield is not the only thing we should rely on, but it is no secret that the combination of our people, the ground and the boys is pretty good," Klopp said.
"That is what we have to throw in, but not rely on it. I have a very good feeling we can [beat Arsenal]."
Arsenal are 29 points better off than Liverpool, having played a game more, and are seeking their first league double in this fixture since the 2009-10 campaign.
However, Liverpool have won their past six home Premier League games against Arsenal, scoring at least three times in each game (22 goals in total).
Klopp has been impressed by the work of opposite number Mikel Arteta, but he remains hopeful his side can put on a show for their supporters at Anfield on Sunday.
"I know people ask for more time for managers, and I think Mikel deserved every minute when it wasn't going well, because they are there now," Klopp said.
"Arsenal made good transfers and are now pretty stable. They brought in super important players but not too many.
"Mikel has been building for a few years now and the outcome is pretty impressive. I don't know exactly what you can say about us at the moment, so that shows the situation.
"It's still Anfield, we're at home, and we must show a reaction, an improvement. We have to help the boys with different things. In a home game, the crowd can be a massive boost."
Klopp is looking to win seven home league games in a row against an opponent for the first time since doing so against Werder Bremen with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
We’ll throw everything at title bid – Trent Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold insists the squad plan to “throw everything” at their final six matches of the season as they try to finish Jurgen Klopp’s final season on a high.
Only a month ago the talk was still of an unprecedented quadruple with the Carabao Cup already in the trophy cabinet but FA Cup and Europa League exits, plus a slip-up in the league, has left them with just one focus.
The task of overhauling Manchester City’s two-point advantage, and also getting ahead of Arsenal, is not an inconsiderable one but Alexander-Arnold said in the aftermath of their Europa League exit to Atalanta despite a 1-0 victory in Bergamo that the players had spoken about what remained of their campaign.
“After the game we spoke quite positively about the rest of the season. We’ve got a month left and we need to give it everything,” said the England international.
“That’s what we are going to do, we are going to throw everything at it and try to do all that we can.
“We know it’s not in our hands any more but we need to be as good as possible and just be in the best position that we can to capitalise if teams do slip up.”
Against Atalanta Alexander-Arnold made his first start since mid-February following a knee injury and in the first half in particular looked like he had never been away, dictating play after being given licence to roam from his nominal right-back position.
The team faded in the second half and the 25-year-old was withdrawn after 72 minutes but he will have a key part to play in the last six matches.
“I think I just ran out of juice in the second half but in the first half I was enjoying my football, finding passes, playing the game I love,” he told the club’s official website.
“I think you can tell by the way I played it was special for me to be back out there and help the team win the game.”
Liverpool head to Fulham on Sunday with the chance to overtake City, who play in the FA Cup semi-final, before a Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park in midweek and then a trip to West Ham.
“We have got a huge game that we need to go and win,” added Alexander-Arnold.
“We have got a very difficult week ahead of us, three away games that we need to win and get results in and that’s our aim now.”
Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool can secure Premier League crown with perfect finish
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remains positive about their place in the title race and still believes if they win all remaining six matches they will be Premier League champions again.
A difficult run of results – starting with a draw at Manchester United and followed by home defeats to Atalanta and Crystal Palace – ended with a 1-0 Europa League victory in Bergamo but that could not prevent their exit from the Europa League 3-1 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage.
A first clean sheet in 10 matches was a boost to confidence, especially as they continue to struggle to find their best form at the other end of the pitch, and Klopp thinks the two-point gap to leaders Manchester City can be overhauled with a perfect run in.
“It’s not obviously in our hands, it is not about that,” said Klopp.
“I think if we would win all our games there is a good chance we will be champion. If not there is a good chance someone else will be champion.
“Maybe we only have to win five, but nobody knows. Who would have thought that Arsenal lose against Aston Villa?
“We all sit here and think ‘OK, yeah. City will win all their games’ and that’s happened quite frequently, but they have a lot of games to play and difficult opponents as well.
“We don’t think about that. We don’t think about them. It is just how can we make sure we start wining games again.”
Over the course of their recent rivalry, Liverpool have had a couple of seasons where the race to the line with City has seen them miss out by just a point despite matching each other win-for-win for the majority of the run in.
But Klopp said that experience was not necessarily as positive as onlookers may believe.
“When we were in the position we didn’t win the league in the end. We lost by a point and stuff like that. What kind of experience is that?” he added.
“We know how to get there – and then don’t (win). It’s not about that.
“It’s good to know that you are good and you can cause other teams problems.
“But the thing is clear: if you want to be champion in the Premier League you have to be close to perfect and if you are not perfect you have to deal with the setbacks in the best possible way or in a perfect way.
“That is what we are now doing. We had a setback week with three games we didn’t like too much, the results especially, and now we have to start turning it around.”
Key to turning things around will be a change in fortunes in front of goal.
Three goals in their last four matches has stalled their progress with the forwards failing to take numerous opportunities they have created.
Mohamed Salah, whom Klopp defended after he missed a key chance to make it 2-0 against Atalanta, has scored six – two of which were penalties – in 11 matches since returning from two months out with a hamstring injury.
Luis Diaz has two in eight games, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo have just one in their last seven, while Diogo Jota has yet to find the net in three appearances since returning injury.
“We had good moments and had an awful lot of chances, and didn’t use one of them more of less,” said Klopp.
“That’s not great but the worst thing in football is not to have chances. It is better you deal with chances you miss than you have no chances.
“That’s why I’m absolutely positive and after processing things properly, yeah, I’m more than happy with the situation.”
Coventry boss Mark Robins: Manchester United are the ‘biggest club in the world’
Coventry boss Mark Robins has scoffed at the “derisory” criticism of Manchester United, insisting his side’s FA Cup semi-final opponents remain the biggest football club on the planet.
Robins began his career at Old Trafford and his history with the club is firmly intertwined with the cup, with his third round winner against Nottingham Forest in 1990 often cited as the goal that saved Sir Alex Ferguson from the sack.
Ferguson’s latest successor in the hot seat, Erik ten Hag, could do with firming up his own position and could find himself on extremely rocky ground if the Red Devils were denied a shot at silverware by Championship opposition.
They are winless in four games since reaching the last four with a penalty shootout victory over Liverpool and sit seventh in the Premier League table, but Robins believes their problems have been overstated.
“People, pundits, are talking in a derisory way about Manchester United and what they’re doing, how they’re performing,” he said.
“For people who are talking about Manchester United are this or that, or they concede lots of shots: you’re talking about a team that is full of talented players, top international players. We know they are clearly favourites to win this game, by a million miles, simple as that.
“They can hurt anybody on their day. The game against Liverpool their goals were outstanding. So you’ve got a lot of things to consider, especially as a Championship club going up against the biggest club in the world.
“For Manchester United, this is a normal occasion. They play at Wembley a lot of times, there’s some England internationals there and other internationals who’ve played at Wembley on numerous occasions. It’s an expectation for them and their supporters; for us it’s slightly different.”
The Sky Blues booked their place in the last four with a dramatic 3-2 win over Wolves, with stoppage-time strikes from Ellis Simms and Haji Wright completing a remarkable upset.
The euphoria of that result has not carried in to their league form though, with three losses in their last four games leaving their play-off hopes – and regular games against the likes of United – all but over.
With that in mind, Robins has urged everyone connected to the club to make the most of the experience in front of them.
“We’ve already given the fans a special occasion getting there. Being in the national stadium with Manchester United, it doesn’t get much bigger than that,” he said.
“It’s a brilliant opportunity for everyone and there’s a lot of excitement around the city. There is a global reach there for Coventry City, the world will be tuning in and it’s a great occasion for all of our players.”
One player who will not be part of City’s big day is Kasey Palmer, suspended after picking up a booking for encroaching on the pitch to celebrate the late triumph over Wolves.
“In the moment it’s the reaction we all made, you don’t necessarily think too much about it,” Said Robins.
“It was really poor but the rules are the rules and you’ve got to abide by them. Unfortunately for him and for us, we can’t use him.”
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