Liverpool returned to the top of the table after beating Burnley 3-1 in front of the Premier League’s biggest crowd at Anfield on Saturday. Although Liverpool are not the best, we cannot forget the fact that they are missing 11 players from the starting XI. Salt was rubbed into the wound when Trent-Alexander Arnold was sent off at half-time.
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp, who has had a week off to prepare for Saturday’s game at Brentford, said extra time could give players who were ruled out in the win over the Clarets time to recover from illnesses that -they hit the team. Talisman top scorer Mohamed Salah could be back on the pitch in a month after announcing a further fitness update.
Ibrahima Konate is set to make a permanent return from suspension, while Conor Bradley could return after being placed on leave following the tragic death of his father. But Klopp is still short of a number of players who will travel to west London to face a Brentford side who have not lost at home to Liverpool since promotion from the Championship.
And ahead of kick-off at 12.30pm, we take a look at the Reds’ current injuries and ailments and when they’re expected to return.
Mo Salah
Salah did not feature against Burnley as expected, but Klopp said on Friday that the forward could be fit for the Brentford clash. The 31-year-old is stepping up his recovery at the AXA Training Center after picking up a thigh injury during the Africa Cup of Nations match against Ghana on January 18.
Klopp: “Mo is going in the right direction. We hope, but we don’t know if he will train next week. But we will have to see. It is now going through all the steps and looking positive. Next week or the week after. “If you ask me, I think it will happen next week,” he said.
Expected return date: Brentford (A), February 17
Trent Alexander-ArnoldKlopp confirmed that Alexander-Arnold has suffered another knee injury. Liverpool manager after win over Burnley: ‘His bum again? Yes, that’s what it felt like. It’s stuck in the grass so we’ll see. Please send us a review. “There is the same area in the knee. Not bad, but he felt it again and we have to see and judge. “Trent said it was good, but I felt it wasn’t good, so I had to be careful and take it out.
“Expected Return Date: Unknown
Allison Becker
Klopp is unhappy with Alisson Becker’s condition after he missed the match against Burnley with flu. He said: “Ali (Alison) is retuning, I don’t know.
“Expected return date: Brentford (A), February 17
Joe Gomez
Klopp has confirmed that full-back Joe Gomez has flu. Expected return date: Brentford (A), February 17
Ryan Gravenberch
Ryan Gravenberch was named on the bench for the game against Burnley and stayed there. Klopp later said the midfielder “felt something” during the warm-up. Expected return date: Brentford (A), February 17
Dominik Szoboszlai
Before the recent group game at Arsenal, there were rumors that Dominik Szoboszlai would not travel to the capital with the Liverpool team. And Klopp confirmed before kick-off that the injury suffered by the Hungary captain in the New Year’s win against Newcastle United has been re-ignited. The Reds boss, who gave a further update ahead of the home game against Burnley, said: “It’s not a big muscle but I’ve got no hamstring problems, no hamstring pain and this guy says: I’m fine ‘” Let’s go.” It certainly looked like he wasn’t used to being hurt by something like this. “He had long-term problems at Salzburg, but since then he has managed to play a lot. He came to Leipzig with problems, but since then he has managed to play regularly.” He is not the most patient person. We don’t know (about the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on February 25). “If you ask him, he says he will definitely play in the final, but I don’t know. He runs outside. I saw some guys running around, they’re back and I think it’s going to be a while. We have to see.”Expected Return Date: Unknown
Thiago Alcantara
Thiago Alcantara came on as a second-half substitute against Arsenal, his first appearance since last April. However, the hapless midfielder is currently struggling with a further hamstring injury. “Thiago is not good,” said Klopp. “Everything looked great in training. They showed us a bit of training on LFC TV and it looked amazing.
We thought if we brought him back (to Arsenal) and got a chance to play a few minutes, it would be a muscle problem. I’m still not sure about the size and will have to wait a little longer, but it’s not cool. “It’s not good news for him or us or anybody else.
“Expected Return Date: Unknown
Stefan Bajcetic
Stefan Bajcetic has had a frustrating Anfield youngster’s career due to a series of injuries. He had a strong debut season last season, but it ended prematurely in March due to an adductor muscle stress reaction. Bajcetic returned to action in the Carabao Cup and Europa League in September, but his appearance for LASK Linz was his last since a calf problem. It is unclear when he will return to full training. Expected Return Date: Unknown
Joel MatipJoel Matip is recovering from surgery after tearing his ACL. The 32-year-old, who is in the last month of his contract with Liverpool, could miss the rest of the season. The centre-back suffered the injury in an off-the-ball incident in the 70th minute of the 4-3 Premier League win over Fulham in December.
Expected Return Date: Unknown
Ben Doak
Ben Doak has been out for a long Period of time now
Expected return date: unknown
