Liverpool midfielder Fabinho says he is ‘very confident’ that he will be fit to play in the UEFA final against in Paris on 28 May.
The Brazilian suffered a first-half hamstring injury in the Premier League victory over last Tuesday, causing him to miss the FA Cup final success over and the subsequent win away at Southampton which means the Reds have taken the title race with Manchester City to the final day.
Fabinho spent a single season with Real Madrid in 2012-13 before joining AS Monaco, making a sole La Liga appearance in a win over Malaga.
‘Yes, I’ll be there… to play,’ Fabinho told Spanish outlet AS. ‘We are working and recovering to be ready for that final. I am very calm and very confident that I will be there, so we have to keep working and resting to be at the best physical level for May 28th.
The Champions League final will be Liverpool’s 63rd fixture in a mammoth season which has seen them reach the final of every tournament they have entered. Since mid-February, the Reds have played a match on every weekend and during every midweek.
Fabinho has revealed that the Liverpool squad is feeling the subsequent fatigue.
‘I think I can speak a little generally: We are very tired,’ the 28-year-old added. ‘It’s true because we’ve been playing on weekends and during the week for a month now, always game after game and important games; which makes you physically and mentally tired as well, but this team worked very hard to get here, to this point in the season with a chance of winning all four trophies.
‘There are few games left, there is a final sprint and the coach will have a bit of a headache to form a team because 120 minutes at this point in the season (for the final) is not easy. I hope that those who play are well, prepared, because it will be very hard.’
Liverpool have now won both domestic cups this season, have the chance to secure a seventh European Cup in Paris, and could potentially still win the Premier League if Manchester City slip up against Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa on the final day of the season this Sunday.
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