With striker Roberto Firmino set to be out of action for a number of weeks, following his injury against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Diogo Jota should continue to play in the middle of Jurgen Klopp’s front three.
Jota has scored 18 goals in all competitions for Liverpool since moving to the Merseyside club from Wolves for £41 million in September 2020. He has proven himself to be a very important part of his side’s attack, adding depth to their strong frontline of Roberto Firmino, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane.
The Portugal international has played in 10 of his side’s 11 Premier League matches so far in the campaign, scoring four goals. He looks set to feature against Arsenal. Liverpool are the odds-on favourites in the Liverpool v Arsenal betting.
Liverpool are likely to be one of the leading selections in the Premier League predictions for the rest of the season. They have shown they are back to their best following a disappointing campaign last year. Klopp’s men are involved in a fascinating battle for the title with defending champions Manchester City and Chelsea.
Africa Cup of Nations
Even when Firmino returns to full fitness and is back into the starting XI, Liverpool will be without Salah and Mane just after Christmas. Both players are representing their respective nations at the Africa Cup of Nations in January. That tournament is scheduled to take place until early February.
Klopp will be relying on Jota, and to some extent Divock Origi, during that period as he will be without two of his forwards. The 24-year-old has a lot of Premier League experience as he played two full campaigns for Wolves before his transfer to Anfield.
The Liverpool boss is fortunate that the Champions League knockout stage does not begin until February. He should have a fully fit squad for the resumption of the premier European competition, however, it remains to be seen how much the tournament in Africa will take out of Salah and Mane.
Jota a Big Player for Portugal Too
2021 has been a big year for Jota with his national team. He has scored fives goals in 11 appearances for Portugal. He was on the scoresheet in his side’s 2-4 defeat to Germany at Euro 2020. His latest goal came in a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan in Baku.
Portugal currently top their qualifying group for the World Cup so they have a great chance of booking their spot at the tournament in Qatar next year. The Liverpool man will most likely feature in the starting XI along with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva.
Jota has the chance over the next few months to prove why Klopp was desperate to add him to his squad last year. He is more than a back-up striker at Liverpool, and if he can find the back of the net on a regular basis in his upcoming spell in the team, it will keep his side in the title hunt.