Liverpool hope to steer clear of additional injuries following Dominik Szoboszlai’s recent setback.
Manager Jurgen Klopp faces a necessity for alterations in the lineup, with a minimum of three changes anticipated for their upcoming FA Cup third-round encounter against Arsenal.
Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo won’t be available due to their participation in the African Cup of Nations and Asian Cup respectively. Additionally, Szoboszlai will be absent, nursing a hamstring injury sustained during their recent victory over Newcastle United.
The club will miss Salah and Endo until at least the end of January. Both players have been in impressive form. Meanwhile, Szoboszlai, who initially showcased promise at Liverpool, will now face an uncertain recovery period due to his injury.
Alexis Mac Allister made a comeback from his injury spell against Newcastle and is poised to vie for a spot in Klopp’s midfield selection.
Despite some encouraging developments in training, with Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas resuming their sessions, the duo remains sidelined along with other long-term injured players.
For the North London face-off, Liverpool will be missing Owen Beck, who just came back from his loan at Dundee FC. He’s sidelined due to a one-game suspension from his stint in Scotland.
Kostas Tsimikas
After a strong challenge from Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Greek defender Tsimikas landed awkwardly on his shoulder, breaking his collarbone. Following the collision, he inadvertently bumped into Klopp on the sidelines and displayed immediate signs of distress.
Speaking after the 1-1 draw with the Gunners, the Liverpool boss confirmed it was not good news on Tsimikas. Klopp said: “He [Tsimikas] broke his collarbone at least. That’s really bad for us.”
However a recent post on Instagram saw the Greek defender hint at a return sooner than hoped.
Expected return date: February/March
Dominik Szoboszlai
Dominik Szoboszlai will be sidelined for a while due to a hamstring injury he sustained on January 1 against Newcastle United.
Speaking ahead of the FA Cup clash against Arsenal (January 7), Klopp said: “I can confirm it’s not a potential injury – it is an injury. Muscle, hamstring. But now we have to see.
“Dom is very positive, doesn’t have a lot of pain but we have to wait a little bit. So, no chance obviously for Sunday, not for Wednesday. No.
“And then we will see, after that hopefully he might be back but we don’t know.”
Expected return date: January 20
Joel Matip
Liverpool defender, Joel Matip, underwent surgery due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. At 32 and nearing the end of his contract with Anfield, he’s expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the season. The injury occurred during the 70th minute of the intense 4-3 victory against Fulham following an off-the-ball incident.
“It’s an ACL, ruptured, so that’s what I unfortunately expected from the first second. Everything looked like that. Very unfortunate,” Klopp said.
Expected return date: 2024/25 season
Andy Robertson
Liverpool defender, Andy Robertson, is expected to make a comeback in January following his absence due to a shoulder injury sustained while playing for Scotland. The captain of the Tartan Army had to undergo surgery for a dislocated shoulder and has been sidelined since, missing Liverpool’s ascent in the Premier League and Scotland’s qualification for Euro 2024.
Discussing the Scot’s condition last week, Klopp said: “Robbo still needs more range in his shoulder,” said the boss “Obviously it was a big surgery. [He is] still not even close to team training or whatever.
“[He] can do a lot, everything without using the arm properly, which is obviously good but on the other side shows us we still have a long way to go. For sure, I think, the full January he has to get closer and closer.”
Expected return date: End of January/February
Ben Doak
Ben Doak suffered a knee injury in an under-21s game against Chelsea.
This setback comes just as Doak was gaining momentum in the first team, having played in the Carabao Cup and Europa League.
Liverpool’s assistant manager, Pep Lijnders, indicated that Doak won’t be hurried back to action: “That’s not a good one. He teared his lateral meniscus, which needs surgery.
“That one will take [a] longer time. He is young, he is a fit guy, he is a positive guy so for sure he will come back stronger, and we need him to come back with the same fire he has with the ball, how he was. He can take time and we will wait for him.”
Expected return date: Unknown
Thiago Alcantara
Liverpool’s midfielder, Thiago Alcantara, last played for the team during their victory against West Ham United in April. He has been sidelined due to a persistent hip problem and underwent surgery to address the issue. The most recent update on his condition was provided last Friday, with manager Klopp expressing hope for Thiago’s return to the field in January.
“I think Thiago will be at one point in team training [in January],” he said.
“Thiago is in a very good moment as well but we just have to make sure we don’t use him then too early. The hip thing in and around that area is just a long-term thing as well.
“There were for sure days where he could have easily trained but it’s all about how can he be back then in the long term, and that’s what we are working on.”
Expected return date: January
Stefan Bajcetic
Stefan Bajcetic faced challenges during his time at Liverpool due to multiple injuries.
Despite a promising start to his career with the club during a difficult phase, his season was cut short in March due to an adductor injury. Although he made a comeback in September, featuring in the Carabao Cup and Europa League, his season ended prematurely again due to a calf problem during a match against LASK Linz.
As of now, there’s no set timeline for Bajcetic’s return. Speaking about the midfielder in a recent press conference, Klopp commented: “With Stefan, if you ask Stefan how he feels, he says ‘good’. ‘Could you train?’ Yes, he could. It’s just we have to be sensible. That’s how it is.”
Expected return date: Unknown
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