Liverpool have picked a pretty unfortunate moment in the season to be struck with a seemingly relentless stream of injuries.
The Reds are having to fend off Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League title race, while they're also still flying in the Europa League and FA Cup. Oh, and there's the small matter of a Carabao Cup final clash with Chelsea this Sunday too.
Jurgen Klopp must be cursing his side's luck as he welcomes a spirited Luton Town to Anfield on Wednesday evening in the Premier League, the Hatters one of the few sides to deny Liverpool victory so far this season.
The Reds could be without 11, yes ELEVEN, players for the visit of Luton midweek, so let's take a look at those missing for the league leaders.
Liverpool have players absent all over the pitch and will still be without the influential Alisson Becker for Wednesday's match. The Brazilian goalkeeper suffered a hamstring injury in training prior to the victory over Brentford last weekend and early reports suggest he could be sidelined for over a month, with Klopp stating he will be out for the "foreseeable".
Joel Matip is still out for Liverpool and is likely to miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL against Fulham in early December. With his contract expiring this summer, there is the very real possibility that he's played his final game for the Reds.
The return of Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas in recent weeks has been a huge boost to Klopp after both his left-backs had suffered long-term injuries, but Trent Alexander-Arnold is now sidelined on the other side of the defence.
The right-back suffered a recurrence of a previous knee injury during the victory over Burnley on 10 February and is likely to miss the Carabao Cup final as well as the Luton clash.
Curtis Jones added his name to a long list of absent personnel in Saturday's 4-1 win over Brentford, suffering a bone ligament injury against the Bees. Klopp confirmed he would be out of the Luton match in his pre-match press conference, although didn't put a timeframe on his return.
Dominik Szoboszlai has been missing for the entirety of February but does have a slim chance of returning for the Carabao Cup final. However, he will miss the Hatters' visit on Wednesday, with the Hungarian one of those that will be assessed "day by day" according to Klopp.
Meanwhile, the Spanish duo of Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic, who have both rarely left the treatment table this season, are still missing after racking up a combined three appearances between them this term.
The only member of Liverpool's forward line absolutely guaranteed to miss Luton at present is Diogo Jota. The Portuguese suffered a knee injury and damage to his posterior cruciate ligament during the victory over Brentford and was withdrawn before the break.
Klopp confirmed that the 27-year-old will be out for "months" in what is a devastating blow to the Reds given the rich vein of form Jota has been in since returning from a month on the sidelines earlier this season.
Darwin Nunez was also substituted during the win at the Gtech Community Stadium, coming off at half-time despite having netted against the Bees. The Uruguayan reportedly "felt something" in west London and will also be assessed on a daily basis by the medical staff. However, he could be rested for the Carabao Cup final even if remotely fit for Wednesday.
Mohamed Salah made his eagerly-awaited return to action for the Reds off the bench against Brentford, scoring and providing an assist in an impressive display. However, there have been reports suggesting that the Egyptian may have also suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury, although Klopp didn't specifically mention the 31-year-old in his pre-match press conference.
Young Ben Doak is also still sidelined after undergoing surgery earlier in the season, with Klopp potentially having to get creative with his starting lineup on Wednesday night.
Player | Absence |
---|---|
Alisson | Out |
Joel Matip | Out |
Trent Alexander-Arnold | Out |
Curtis Jones | Out |
Dominik Szoboszlai | Out |
Thiago | Out |
Stefan Bajcetic | Out |
Diogo Jota | Out |
Ben Doak | Out |
Darwin Nunez | Doubt |
Mohamed Salah | Doubt |