Benteke passed fit for Chelsea clash
Liverpool striker Christian Benteke is available for selection for Saturday's clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Jürgen Klopp has revealed.
The No.9 missed out on the midweek Capital One Cup victory over AFC Bournemouth after sustaining a knock to his knee in training, but is ready to return to action at the weekend.
He will not be joined by Daniel Sturridge or Kolo Toure in the squad for the trip to the capital, however, as the pair continue their rehabilitation from knee and hamstring problems respectively.
When asked to provide an update on the Reds' injury situtation in his pre-match press briefing, the manager replied: "It's better than yesterday.
"Christian trained quite normally together with one of our fitness coaches and it was good, he was okay. He's prepared for tomorrow, I would say, so that's the only thing that changed.
"Kolo has not the most serious injury but it's enough that he cannot play tomorrow. No Daniel [Sturridge]."
Toure is the latest player to join an injury list that includes long-term absentees Danny Ings and Joe Gomez, captain Jordan Henderson and Sturridge among others.
But Klopp gave short shrift to the suggestion that the club's medical department could shoulder any of the blame for a string of fitness problems that can only be put down to poor fortune.
"I think [the medical department] is one of the departments that works perfect," he insisted.
"I'm not sure about [everybody] because I've not met [everybody] but everything is fine. Everything is the same with Chris [Morgan] and his team so there is no doubt from my side, after two and a half weeks.
"If you have a look on the kind of injuries we have then you know it's nothing [to do] with the medical department. It's because of hits [impacts] or other things.
"It's normal in football that nobody wants to wait but we have to wait because recovery needs time. We have these two guys with Ingsy and Gomez, they need a long time, but I can see Henderson and [Jon] Flanagan, they are closer but not on the pitch in this moment.
"Flanagan is on the pitch but he needs time after a long, long journey with his knee injury but he looks good.
"These boys and girls in the medical department, they work so hard. We have to wait for [injured players] but we have to work with the other guys, that's how football works."