Liverpool Could Be Without Four Key Players for Crunch Man City Clash

Liverpool will be without four first-team players for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Manchester City, as Arne Slot’s side aim to move closer to securing the league title.

The Reds are facing a growing injury crisis, with four key players expected to miss the crucial encounter against Manchester City, who are dealing with their own struggles.

Arne Slot’s team travels to the Etihad Stadium hoping to regain momentum in their title race. Liverpool have drawn two of their last three league matches, while Wolves were arguably unlucky to lose at Anfield last weekend.

Despite recent setbacks, Liverpool hold an eight-point lead at the top of the table. However, second-place Arsenal could narrow this gap to five points with a win over West Ham on Saturday. The Gunners also have a game in hand, adding further pressure on Slot’s squad.

Slot will be eager to secure a positive result against City, especially after his side outperformed them in the reverse fixture at Anfield earlier this season.

However, he faces the challenge without four crucial players. Conor Bradley was substituted due to a muscle injury during the draw with Aston Villa, leaving the pitch with 24 minutes remaining.

Liverpool are still awaiting a full assessment of Bradley’s condition, but he is expected to miss both the trip to Manchester City and Wednesday’s match against Newcastle. The right-back joins Joe Gomez, Cody Gakpo, and Tyler Morton on the injury list.

Gomez recently underwent surgery for a hamstring injury and is not expected to return until the final weeks of the season. Gakpo’s situation remains unclear, as the knock he sustained against Everton have kept him out of Liverpool’s last two fixtures.

He has yet to resume team training, and the Dutchman is set to undergo a late fitness test. Adding to Liverpool’s injury concerns, Tyler Morton recently underwent surgery for a shoulder issue, ruling him out for the foreseeable future.

This setback leaves Slot without a natural replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who, like Diogo Jota, is only just returning from injury. The Liverpool manager has emphasised the importance of carefully managing their playing time as they work their way back to full fitness.

“We spoke about this already a week ago, that in these five games he already knows how many minutes he would make. That was in a situation where Conor [Bradley] was available as well. Now we maybe have to adjust our plan,” explained Slot.

He also shared a conversation with Alexander-Arnold: “I said to him, ‘You know why I take you off, don’t you?’ He said, ‘Yeah, we spoke about it.’ But, of course, a player has adrenaline and has just scored. It was a better moment than against Wolves when he lost the ball just before I took him off. He is improving.

“These two players are not injured but they come back from an injury – [Diogo] Jota and Trent [Alexander-Arnold], so that’s also the reason they don’t play 90 minutes five times in a row in 15 days. That would be a big risk, we could see this yesterday with Conor Bradley.”

In other news, Pep Guardiola May Have Just Delivered Some Surprisingly Bad News to Liverpool About Sunday’s PL Clash