New head coach Ange Postecoglou says Nottingham Forest defender Murillo is recovering well from the knock he picked up on Saturday.
The Brazilian was forced off in the first half of the Reds’ 3-0 defeat at Arsenal after receiving treatment on the pitch. He is not expected to be involved in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup tie away to Swansea City but it is hoped he will be fit to face Burnley at the weekend.
Murillo told reporters at the training ground on Monday that he wouldn’t be available for the trip to south Wales. And Postecoglou joked: “He doesn't make those decisions, I do!
“But he's progressing well. It was a significant knock, to be fair, and that's why he couldn't carry on.
“He was very, very sore on Saturday night, but every day he's improved. I had a chat with him this morning, in a similar vein. He wants to be ready for Saturday.
“It's a day-by-day thing. But certainly with the improvement he’s made so far, we’re hopeful he’ll be available (for Saturday).”
Postecoglou is expected to ring the changes against the Swans (8pm kick-off). He has pledged the midweek game will be when he begins to embed his attacking principles, while the 60-year-old also views it as an opportunity for players who have had little game time to impress.
“It is an opportunity. The club invested heavily in the summer, brought in a lot of new players, and they haven't really had a chance yet to get out there,” Postecoglou said.
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“I think tomorrow is a perfect opportunity for us to get them out there, get them playing, get them a feel of what it's like to play for the club. At the same time, just get some match fitness into them because this will be our programme right up until almost Christmas.
“We're going to need all the players, and the last thing you want is players who haven't played for over a month. So, both from a squad perspective, but also for the individuals themselves, it's a great opportunity tomorrow night to get out there and play some football.
“From my perspective, it doesn't mean we're not taking tomorrow's game very seriously. We want to win, for sure. We know with Europe this year, the sheer number of games we're going to be playing, we're going to need the whole squad.
“But also, I think the players want to play as well. They've arrived either late in the window or just haven't had an opportunity to play. They want to show what they can do.
“I think that enthusiasm and excitement will make up for the fact that there might be a lack of cohesion tomorrow night because of the number of changes. There are a lot of guys who maybe aren't at match speed at the moment. I just sense the enthusiasm. They want to kick-start their football for us.
“We have to start embedding the principles and tomorrow is a great opportunity to do that. I don't want to dampen their enthusiasm to play. (Oleksandr) Zinchenko, Douglas Luiz, Dilane Bakwa, Omari Hutchinson all these players haven't had a look-in at the moment.”
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