Liverpool takes on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League today, with 10 players set to be missing as Jürgen Klopp faces late calls on four other stars.
The Liverpool injury list continues to be a major headache for Jürgen Klopp, not that it seems to be hindering the Reds’ form. Liverpool followed up its Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea with a 3-0 victory against Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round, thus setting up an eagerly-awaited clash with perennial rivals Manchester United in the quarter-finals at Old Trafford.
Yet it was mostly Klopp’s kids that played in the win over Southampton, with five of the starting XI 23 years old or younger. Part of this is due to squad rotation, but primarily it’s due to the sheer list of casualties Klopp has at the moment, with so many of his squad out through injury.
Only Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Joe Gomez and Harvey Eliiott featured in the win over Southampton of whom Klopp would consider as regular first team players, and it speaks to the sheer level of the injury crisis that the German had to use as many youngsters as he did.
As Liverpool travels to Nottingham Forest this weekend, Klopp still has a mountain of injuries to contend with. The Reds boss has already confirmed that Mohamed Salah will not be available, and there will now be a nervous wait ahead of next weekend’s clash with Manchester City.
On a positive note though, Klopp could have four players back following Wednesday’s win over Southampton. Andy Robertson and Wataru Endō missed that game through illness and injury respectively, but both were expected back in training after Klopp spoke to the media on Friday.
Meanwhile, Darwin Núñez and Dominik Szoboszlai made their returns to training following the midweek game. A late decision will need to be made on their involvement, but the signs are positive that they could be back in contention.
Even just having one of those four back against Forest would be a huge boost for Liverpool. Even without them though, the Reds’ younsters have proved they can be relied upon.
We could see the likes of Jayden Danns, Lewis Koumas, James McConnell and Bobby Clark all feature once again, either from the start or on the bench, after their displays against Southampton. Here, Liverpool.com brings you the full list of players available to the manager as the Reds face Nottingham Forest.
Goalkeepers: Caoimhín Kelleher, Adrián.
Defenders: Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah, Ibrahima Konaté, Kostas Tsimikas, Conor Bradley.
Midfielders:Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott, Bobby Clark.
Forwards:Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo.
Players who are injured: Thiago Alcântara, Ben Doak, Joël Matip, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Stefan Bajčetić, Diogo Jota, Ryan Gravenberch, Mohamed Salah.
Players who are doubtful: Dominik Szoboszlai, Darwin Núñez, Wataru Endō, Andy Robertson.
