The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Adrian hopeful of playing
Liverpool goalkeeper suffered ankle knock amid celebrations
Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian is hopeful of featuring against Southampton despite bizarrely injuring his ankle after an accidental collision with a pitch invader.
Adrian marked his first start for the Reds with the decisive save from Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham in the Super Cup final penalty shoot-out on Wednesday, but as he celebrated with team-mates, a supporter careered into the Spaniard.
The 32-year-old summer signing is deputising for Alisson Becker, sidelined for a number of weeks because of a calf complaint, and is confident he will be fit to feature at St Mary’s this afternoon.
He told Liverpool’s official website: “I feel much better. I feel mentally ready and I also hope with the treatment of the ankle it’s going to be much better.
“But I’m very optimistic to start playing again (against Southampton).”
Videos on social media showed a fan losing his footing and sliding into a group of huddled-together Liverpool players after being grabbed by a steward.
Adrian added: “It was a strange, weird situation because we were celebrating between us and one guy jumped from the crowd and started running.
“I think he slipped in front of us and also the security with him and made me a tackle from the side.”
Alisson’s injury prompted Liverpool to sign 35-year-old Andy Lonergan on a short-term contract, the former Preston, Leeds and Bolton goalkeeper on stand-by having trained with the Merseysiders over the summer.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will definitely be without midfielder Naby Keita because of a muscle strain.
Midfielder Fernandinho is back in contention as champions Manchester City have close to a fully-fit squad available for this evening’s Premier League clash with Tottenham.
The Brazilian missed last week’s opener against West Ham having returned to training late following international duty.
Tottenham are still without hamstring injury victims Dele Alli and Ryan Sessegnon and Juan Foyth and Son Heung-min are both suspended but Spurs are otherwise at full strength.
Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen are vying for starts while Giovani Lo Celso could be on the bench following his deadline day move from Real Betis.
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has described Frank Lampard as a “perfect fit” for Chelsea ahead of tomorrow’s clash between the two clubs.
Rodgers was a coach at Stamford Bridge for four years during the 41-year-old’s illustrious career with the Blues, which saw him win 11 major trophies and become the club’s record goalscorer.
Lampard took charge at Chelsea this summer after only one year in charge of Sky Bet Championship club Derby, suffering a 4-0 defeat to Manchester United on his Premier League managerial bow before losing to Liverpool in the Super Cup.
However, Rodgers believes the time was right for Lampard to make the step up and feels he will make a success of the job.
“Frank and (assistant) Jody (Morris) are a perfect fit for it. They both understand the fabric of the club,” said Rodgers.