Liverpool’s injury list, suspensions and availability ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Sheffield United.
Liverpool play their first Premier League game of the season away to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Wednesday.
The first of three games in a row for Jurgen Klopp’s side comes against the bottom-placed Blades after Saturday’s 5-0 win over Burnley.
Meanwhile, Liverpool enjoyed a last-minute comeback to beat Fulham 4-3 at Anfield last weekend. Manchester City’s subsequent draw saw the Reds move into second place to keep the pressure on Arsenal.
The problems in the last game were due to defensive injuries and now the Boss will have to fight hard after their recent victory.
The details of the affected contingent and their return dates are as follows:
Joel Matip
The latest tally is Joel Matip, who came on as a second-half substitute in Sunday’s win. Thankfully, Ibrahima Konate can return after recently recovering from fitness issues, but the revolving door of defenders adds to the anxiety due to the busy festive period.
“We lost Joel today and we haven’t even had a scan yet, but it won’t be over any time soon,” said Klopp, who is back in full-time action. This is his knee. “It was a setback, but we have to overcome it,” he said.
Estimated Return Date: Unconfirmed
Allison Becker
Alisson Becker missed a fifth game in a row after picking up an ankle injury in the closing minutes of the 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
He has played for two teams – LASK and Fulham – and is currently scheduled to visit Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and Union St Giloise.
Caoimhin Kelleher was expected to play in the Europa League anyway, meaning Alisson technically only missed three games.
Expected return date: Manchester United (H), Premier League, December 17
Diogo Jota
Jota also picked up an injury against Manchester City, but any optimism Klopp displayed when discussing his first-choice goalkeeper was thrown out the window when he spoke about Jota’s condition.
“Diogo will take some time. We don’t know exactly how long. “We’ll have to see,” the manager said, but there has been no official confirmation yet, suggesting the striker will be out until the new year.
Estimated Return Date: Unconfirmed
Andy Robertson
As the bad news continues, Andy Robertson is not expected back until January. His problem was brought to light after the international break in October and all necessary measures were taken.
He underwent successful surgery after suffering a dislocated shoulder in Scotland. Last month, Robertson said: “It’s still going well. It’s been three weeks since the surgery, so it’s good.
I just have to take it slowly each week.” “Everything has gone well so far and I hope it will continue to go well in the future,” he said.
The defender was in good spirits recently as he celebrated with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s winner on Sunday.
Estimated return date: January 2024
Thiago Alcantara
“We’re waiting for him to come back. I think we can do that early in the new year.” That was Klopp’s message to reporters at the start of November when he told them to end the weekly interrogations about Thiago Alcantara’s whereabouts.
The midfielder hasn’t played since April and hasn’t played since February 2023 and it’s been really difficult.
The 32-year-old hopes to return in 2024 and have enough time to make an impact before his contract expires in the summer.
Estimated return date: January 2024
Stepan Bajcetic
Looking now at the future of the Reds midfielder, Stefan Bajcetic has been plagued by persistent problems since joining the club last season.
At least he’s been dating since September, albeit for a short time, and he’s back for two dates. He recently said: “I’ve had injuries like this before, so on the one hand when I started getting sick I thought, ‘This is going to happen.’
But in my heart I thought, “This is ridiculous.” Do it now. You have to keep playing. “But I did the scan. The scan is very rigorous. They always look the same.
I remember calling him when I was home and saying, “You’re stressed.” It was definitely a difficult time, but I think we got through it well. I saw this as an opportunity to get stronger and improve in some areas. “I tried to stay positive mentally.”
Estimated Return Date: Unconfirmed
