“It’s just not ideal”, “He had an injury from the end of last season” – Klopp provides fitness update on Liverpool duo Jota and Alisson for Community Shield clash against Man City

Liverpool may lose two key players due to injury ahead of their Community Shield clash against Manchester City on July 30. Manager Jurgen Klopp provided an update on forward Diogo Jota and goalkeeper Alisson Becker after their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in their pre-season friendly on July 15.

Jota has struggled with hamstring injuries recently, having suffered one while on international duty with Portugal. The star joined up with his teammates in Asia for the pre-season, but has ended up with another hamstring injury instead.

At a press conference following the match (via Daily Mail), Klopp said about the forward:

"Diogo, unlucky eh? 'He had an injury from the end of last season. He trained fully yesterday but got injured again. That's really not cool. Now we have to wait for the results. He had an assessment this morning so we will have to see. It's in the same area."

Meanwhile, Alisson might beat the race to fitness in time for the Manchester City clash, according to Klopp. He said:

"Ali has a chance for the game against Man City, Diogo not. With Ali, it's nothing serious but we're preparing for the whole season. It's just not ideal. He can't do goalie training with it and shouldn't play in this moment, but he can still do some other things. These things happen. Only a little thing but we have to be careful."

Liverpool started their pre-season in poor form, losing 4-0 against rivals Manchester United in Thailand on July 12. However, they bounced back with a win against Crystal Palace and will hope to continue against RB Leipzig on July 21.

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Liverpool stun Crystal Palace with a 2-0 win: Match report

Liverpool eased to a comfortable 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in their pre-season friendly on Friday. The Reds looked confident and in control as they brushed Patrick Vieira’s men aside.

The Reds controlled proceedings from kick-off and deservedly took the lead after 12 minutes through club captain Jordan Henderson. They controlled the game, doubling their lead through Mohamed Salah who scored one minute after he came on in the second half.

Both sides are unlikely to put too much stock in the match result so far, with the preseason tour meant to boost fitness ahead of next season. However, Palace will hope they can find a way to restrict the rampant Reds in the league after being so comfortably beaten.

Liverpool will now go on to face the Red Bull franchise’s Leipzig and Salzburg clubs on July 21 and 27 respectively, ahead of the Community Shield.