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Reds ace gets green light
Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to be available for Liverpool against Benfica this evening after Jurgen Klopp confirmed his squad has a clean bill of health.
The Reds travel to the Estadio da Luz in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Injury issues kept Liverpool’s influential right-back on the bench for their 2-0 victory over Watford on Saturday, while there were also doubts whether Joel Matip, Naby Keita and Curtis Jones would make the clash.
But the German boss revealed in his pre-match press conference: “Yes, [we have a] full squad available, absolutely.
“Curtis was a little swelling, it appeared overnight, fine. Same as Joel, which was very helpful because it looked really strange.
“Trent is now four or five days [in training], not sure exactly, but he’s ready as well.”
Sandwiched in between tonight’s clash and next week’s second leg is a potential Premier League title decider against Manchester City, so Klopp will desperately hope his players come through this evening unscathed.
City have better players
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has admitted Manchester City have a far superior squad to his ahead of the first leg of the pair’s Champions League quarter-final tie.
Atleti are the underdogs in their two-legged clash against Pep Guardiola’s men, but head to the Etihad tonight off the back of knocking out Manchester United 2-1 on aggregate in the previous round.
The LaLiga champions are renowned for their upsets on the European stage and the Argentine feels they are more than capable of pulling off another against the Citizens.
Simeone, 51, said: “No doubt, Manchester City have extraordinary players. I am sure they have better players than us.
“Manchester City and Bayern Munich are favourites because of the characteristics of their players.
“But last season Chelsea won — and not many people expected that.”
Emery admits Magpies switch was close
Villarreal manager Unai Emery has revealed he was extremely close to taking over at Newcastle earlier this season.
The former Arsenal boss, 50, was believed to be the prime candidate for the Magpies’ wealthy new owners last November following their dismissal of Steve Bruce.
But despite talks taking place, the Spaniard opted to stay with the Yellow Submarine and Eddie Howe was appointed instead.
But Emery has recently revealed just how close he came to taking over on Tyneside, admitting it was a project that excited him.
Speaking to The Athletic, he said: “The Premier League is an attractive league for all us coaches. So when Newcastle called me, I thought a lot about the opportunity to return to England, to a serious project.
“For me, it was a source of pride, satisfaction — and I appreciated it. The opportunity of a club like Newcastle, what it could turn out to be, it is normal to listen to the offer, to consider it.
“In the end, with a lot of respect for Villarreal, and a lot of respect for Newcastle, I decided to stay here. I am happy and we are doing an important job.”
Emery’s side kick off their Champions League quarter-final clash with Bayern Munch with their home leg tomorrow evening.
