He returns earlier than expected, Luis Diaz's return date revealed

Striker Luis Díaz is aiming to return to Liverpool for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid in mid-March. It won't be long now. He feels it, he senses it. He is aiming for an important match to come back after almost six months of inactivity due to a knee injury with an operation in between. The Colombian is close to returning to the Reds.

He made the announcement in an interview with Sky Sports during a charity event in England. "Let's wait, let's wait a bit to see when I can get back on the pitch. If it's at the Bernabeu it will be. No worries," he said. That game will be on 15 March in the last-16 tie against the champions.

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Liverpool is going through a results crisis unseen in the Jurgen Klopp era. The team is missing his attacking energy. "The idea is to come back to help the team and all my team-mates. I want to come back and have a good second half of the season," added Diaz. His last game was on 10 October against Arsenal. He collided with an opponent and hurt his knee.

<strong>Klopp looks forward to derby</strong>

Klopp knows a Merseyside derby is different: "It always matters. Yes, it's a chance to improve, but it's also against Everton. It's a very important game for our situation, but also in general." Klopp is pleased with the responsibility his players are accepting: "Everything has gone in the right direction. The aggression is there, the determination, the willingness, the concentration, the focus and the intensity. It's been a really good week so far.