Huddersfield striker Elias Kachunga fit for Liverpool trip as Collin Quaner returns to contention

KEY POINTS

Kachunga has trained all week after sustaining a back problem in the win over Manchester United.
Quaner played for the Under-23s on Monday after several weeks out with a calf problem.

Huddersfield Town striker Elias Kachunga has been declared fit to face Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday (28 October), while teammate Collin Quaner could make his first senior appearance for six weeks at Anfield.

Former FC Ingolstadt loanee Kachunga, who joined the Terriers on a permanent deal for a £1.1m ($1.4m) fee in March after impressing in the Championship, started last weekend's shock victory over Manchester United in West Yorkshire but was replaced by Rajiv van La Parra six minutes before the interval after sustaining a back injury.

Such an issue initially looked to render him a doubt for David Wagner's reunion with best friend and former Borussia Dortmund mentor Jurgen Klopp, although the Huddersfield head coach confirmed at his pre-match press conference that the Democratic Republic of the Congo international had trained all week and was available.

"Elias has trained all week after his back problem sustained against Manchester United last weekend and is available," he said.

January signing Quaner featured in four of Huddersfield's first five Premier League matches as a substitute and started the Carabao Cup second round defeat of Rotherham United, although missed out on selection against West Ham United in September after picking up a knee injury in the friendly win over Hamburg side Altona 93.

The German forward returned as a substitute in the draw with Leicester City and quickly picked up a calf problem that ruled him out of the last five matches against Crystal Palace, Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur, Swansea City and Manchester United.

However, Quaner returned to training last week and put himself in contention to face Liverpool after getting 46 minutes under his belt during an Under-23 Professional Development League derby win over Leeds United at the John Smith's Stadium on Monday. The likes of Martin Cranie, Dean Whitehead and Florent Hadergjonaj also featured in that tie.

"I was pleased to get some players minutes for the U23s on Monday," Wagner said. "Collin Quaner has a chance of being involved [at Liverpool]".

Huddersfield will be without Philip Billing against Liverpool and indeed for the rest of 2017 after the Danish youth international was ruled out for 12 weeks after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury that saw him stretchered off at Swansea.

Defender Michael Hefele and Chelsea loanee Kasey Palmer remained sidelined with achilles and hamstring problems respectively, while long-term absentee Jon Gorenc Stankovic is also still out.

Inevitably quizzed about standing in the opposite dugout to Klopp this weekend, Wagner said: "For sure I'm looking forward to it. It's extraordinary because he's my best friend and manager of Liverpool but I think the real important and extraordinary story is Huddersfield Town beats Liverpool in the Premier League in a competitive game."