Naby Keita expected to be in contention for Liverpool's trip to Villa Park

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita is expected to be in contention for this weekend's Premier League clash against Aston Villa.

The 24-year-old was one of eleven changes for the Reds as he partnered Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield during Liverpool's penalty shootout win over Arsenal in the League Cup on Wednesday night.

The midfielder was forced off with an injury ten minutes into the second half and was replaced by youngster Curtis Jones as the Reds went on to win after a dramatic night that finished 5-5 in normal time.

Speaking after the match, Jurgen Klopp provided an update on the Guinean's fitness: “If Naby’s injury is not so serious, which I hope, then it was a nearly perfect night. He felt a little bit. I saw it, he slipped when he lost the ball. He slipped away, I saw him limping afterwards and that’s why we did it.”

Keita has suffered eight different injuries since making the move to Merseyside last summer and has therefore struggled to make a lasting impact in his short Reds career so far.

He returned from his latest injury at the back-end of September and another injury lay-off would have been a huge setback for the former Leipzig man.

However, he is expected to be fit for this weekend's trip to Villa Park as the Reds take on newly-promoted side Aston Villa.

Keita shared a Snapchat story of himself out on a run in Liverpool on Thursday morning (watch below), allaying fears that he has sustained yet another injury.

It's unlikely that he starts against Dean Smith's side, however, with Klopp expected to bring in the likes of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum for the trip to the Midlands.

Keita's availability will be a huge boost for the Reds nonetheless, with Liverpool in action twice a week, every week, from now until the start of January, barring the November international break.