Liverpool Duo Set to Miss Eight Matches as Arne Slot’s Side Face Suspension Blow Ahead of West Ham Clash
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has shared an injury update ahead of his team’s trip to West Ham United.
Arne Slot has confirmed that Liverpool defenders Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate will remain unavailable for selection against West Ham United this weekend. Their continued absence means both players will have missed eight consecutive matches.
The pair sustained their injuries during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League at Anfield in late November. Neither player has featured in any matches since that encounter.
Both Bradley and Konate are still undergoing their recovery processes and have not yet returned to full team training, ruling them out of contention for the upcoming fixture at the London Stadium.
Slot said: “They will not be back for West Ham United, but then there is a week in between [before the game against Manchester United] so let’s see how close they are then.
“It’s difficult for me to tell you at this moment because they don’t train with the group yet, but hopefully in the upcoming days they come closer to that situation.
“And then again, Ibou has been out then for five or six weeks maybe, Conor just as long I think, the same amount. And also for them, they are in competition with players that are completely fit and doing really well, so I have to make the right judgement the moment they are back with the team.”
Liverpool Face Dominik Szoboszlai Suspension Blow
Liverpool will also be without midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, who received his fifth yellow card of the season during the 3-1 victory over Leicester City on Boxing Day. Arne Slot acknowledged the need for others to step up in Szoboszlai’s absence.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slot said: “Yeah, that’s what you saw today as well, because I think Dominik Szoboszlai was outstanding against Tottenham Hotspur and the idea and plan was that he should be outstanding against West Ham. But he is not available so someone else should be outstanding against West Ham.
On Liverpool’s away form, he continued: “I think our away form has been good but maybe it has a bit to do with the teams you face in the first half of the season.
“So, I think mainly we have faced the teams in the top half of the table at home and the other ones we faced away, so that might have something to do with it. We are strong away from home and at home as well.
“So, I don’t see any reason why we are stronger there than here, [it’s] something we can best judge at the end of the season if we have played every team home and away, to see what fits us best. But I think we are a difficult team to beat away from home as in our home games.”
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