Liverpool: Milner confirms availability for Champions League clash vs Porto | OneFootball

Liverpool have been plagued with injury problems for the last 18 months, with the defence heavily effected last season and now the midfield having an injury crisis this season.

The Reds have been dealt a number of injury blows to their midfield this term with Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones all picking up issues over the first three months of the campaign so far.

Thankfully, Thiago, Fabinho, Henderson and Milner are all back available for selection, with James Milner pictured in training ahead of the Champions League game against Porto tonight.

The 35-year-old took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to confirm his availability for the European clash accompanied with a number of training pictures:

Milner was a free transfer for Liverpool back in 2015 and has certainly proved he’s worth his weight in gold by being part of winning the first-ever Premier League title for the side in 2020 and contributing to the Champions League win in 2019 too.

He has currently achieved 258 appearances for the side, with 26 goals and 43 assists, playing in a number of key roles in the team over his six-year stint in Merseyside.

Despite slowly coming to the end of his career, Milner has been an important and reliable part of the team yet again this season, filling in for missing starters in a number of positions already, offering his experience and presence in games where younger and less experienced players are starting alongside him. Thus, the club’s manager will undoubtedly be buzzing to see such a valuable asset back and ready to use.

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It would make sense to add him into the starting line up straight away this evening against Porto. Although Liverpool have qualified for the last sixteen already, Jurgen Klopp will undoubtedly still want to maintain his system, style of play and hold lots of possession in the game, something Milner is extremely familiar with.

If Klopp does intend to play a much weaker side, which we imagine will be the case due to his comments in his press conference yesterday, Milner will be a fantastic addition to a midfield that is likely to not include starters like Fabinho and Thiago who have only recently returned from injury, where an opportunity is there to give them both a break.

Liverpool have already qualified for latter stages alongside Manchester United, Chelsea, Juventus, Ajax and Bayern Munich, but Jurgen Klopp will still be hoping to remain unbeaten in the competition.