Same Players In Contention For Liverpool Challenge, Says Rodgers
- Leicester City face Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday evening (7:45pm GMT kick-off)
- There's no fresh fitness concerns for the Foxes ahead of the clash, says Brendan Rodgers
- Ryan Bertrand is likely to be out until the off-season after having a knee operation
- Wesley Fofana, Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans, Timothy Castagne also remain out
The Foxes head to Merseyside for their first away top-flight match of 2022 on Thursday evening after exiting the Emirates FA Cup last weekend. Despite that defeat, City can go into their next league outing with confidence after overcoming the Reds at King Power Stadium in December.
Wesley Fofana (fibula), Jamie Vardy (hamstring), Jonny Evans (hamstring), Timothy Castagne (thigh) and Ryan Bertrand (knee) remain out for Leicester. Ricardo Pereira, though, featured for the first time since December on Sunday after recovering from a leg injury.
"It’s pretty much the same squad from the weekend’s game, there's no fresh injuries," Rodgers confirmed on Wednesday, as the Northern Irishman addressed the media from LCFC Training Ground. "It’s just been one of those seasons [with injuries], but we’ve never tried to use it as an excuse.
"If you’re missing that level of player, that can affect the quality of your game. There’s been opportunities for other players to come in and play. Amidst all the issues we’ve had, we’re sitting in a mid-table position, but we want to climb upwards.
"The closest one [to a return] will be Wesley Fofana. He will look to train next week with the squad, which is great news for us, and then it’s just timing. Jonny and Vards are some time away. JJ is finding his legs again, finding space on the field. He was never going to be perfect [straight away] coming back.
"Ricky got some game time [at Nottingham Forest] and Timothy’s still a bit of time away."
Speaking on Sunday, meanwhile, Rodgers confirmed that left-back Bertrand is likely to be out until the end of the season after undergoing surgery on his knee. The left-back joined the Club from Southampton last summer and has made 11 appearances for the Foxes this campaign.
"I spoke to Ryan, his operation has gone well," the 49-year-old said. "He’s had a real challenging season himself. He hasn’t quite been to the level he would have liked for a number of reasons. This has probably topped it off for him.
"He’s got to go away now and he’ll recover, get himself stronger. He’ll be in when the others are off at the end of the season getting himself ready and then we’ll see what he’s like come pre-season."