Liverpool injury and suspension news and return dates ahead of Premier League clash with Burnley at Anfield on Saturday
Liverpool supporters will be hoping for a number of positive fitness updates on a plethora of key players heading into the clash with Burnley on Saturday.
The return of Thiago Alcantara to the Liverpool squad on Sunday was a welcome one and the fact that he came on for his first appearance since April was arguably the only positive to take from the 3-1 defeat at title-rivals Arsenal.
But the loss was compounded further by a sending off for Ibrahima Konate and, more worryingly, an injury to Dominik Szoboszlai that came to light before kick-off.
The good news is that Jurgen Klopp’s midfield options look set to be boosted for Saturday’s visit of relegation-threatened Burnley to Anfield given Wataru Endo’s time at the Asian Cup is over after Japan were knocked-out at the quarter-final stage by Iran.
Mohamed Salah is also seemingly making progress from the problem he picked up during Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt in January.
But as it stands, Klopp could still be without seven players for the clash with the Clarets – as our round-up shows…
Dominik Szoboszlai
Rumours emerged before the top-of-the-table encounter at Arsenal that the Hungary captain hadn’t travelled with the Liverpool squad to the capital. And Klopp confirmed before kick-off that the injury Szoboszlai had sustained in the New Year’s Day win over Newcastle United had flared up again.
“Dom felt in the same area, or pretty much a similar area, to where he was injured before,” said the Reds manager. “Not in the game (victory over Chelsea), he was fine, and then after the game (he felt it) slightly so we had a look at it and there was now no chance for him to be involved in this game.
“We cannot take any risk. We have to wait for further assessment but it was clear that he cannot be involved today. That’s it, pretty much.”
Fresh reports emerged from Hungary suggesting that the midfielder could be out of action for around a month. The ECHO’s Ian Doyle posted the following on social media: “Bit of confusion over Dominik Szoboszlai injury absence. Hungarian outlet that hinted at up to a month out last night has since backtracked a bit and said time out has yet to be determined. Liverpool have yet to put any timescale on it.”
Klopp is likely to provide a fresh update on Szoboszlai’s fitness at this press conference later this week.
Expected return date: Unknown
Ibrahima Konate
Not an injury, but a suspension. Konate’s dismissal for two yellow cards against Arsenal means he will sit out the match with Burnley.
Klopp wasn’t happy with referee Anthony Taylor about the decision. He told Sky Sports: “A lot of things were against of us today. This referee gave me a red card against Man City for wrestling situation between Bernardo Silva and Mo Salah. Today same situation with (Diogo) Jota but didn’t get a red card. It is unbelievable, then the of holding (Kai) Havertz on Konate for the first yellow card. Then Havertz goes down and the referee gives Konate a yellow card. Gabriel does the same to (Darwin) Nunez and no yellow card.”
Expected return date: Brentford (A), February 17
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah has not featured since suffering a hamstring injury in Egypt’s 2-2 draw with Ghana in their second game of the Africa Cup of Nations and recently returned to Merseyside to continue his rehabilitation programme.
The player’s advisor, Ramy Abbas Issa, recently confirmed that Salah’s issue was worse than first feared he would therefore be out of action for between 21 and 28 days, which pencils in his comeback for Premier League fixtures against either Burnley or, more likely, Brentford later this month.
On Tuesday, Salah shared images of himself in the gym at Liverpool’s training ground.
Expected return date: Mid-February
Kostas Tsimikas
Kostas Tsimikas is closing in on a Liverpool return after six weeks on the sidelines. The left-back was involved in a nasty collision with Bukayo Saka during December’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Anfield and subsequently required surgery on a broken collarbone.
Providing an update on Tsimikas recently, Klopp said: “Kosti [Kostas Tsimikas] is close. Kosti is actually fit, Kosti just has to wait now for the green light because the bone healing takes much longer, but the plate is doing the job in the moment.”
The fact that the Greece international was pictured in full training in the lead up to Sunday’s showdown at the Emirates means he may well come into contention to face Burnley this weekend.
Expected return date: Burnley (H), February 10
Stefan Bajcetic
Stefan Bajcetic has endured a frustrating period in his fledgling Reds career after a number of injury problems. He enjoyed a strong debut campaign last season but saw it end prematurely after suffering a stress response in his adductor in March.
Bajcetic returned in September with outings in the Carabao Cup and Europa League but his involvement against LASK Linz proved to be his last after suffering a calf issue. It remains unclear when he will return to full training,.
Expected return date: Unknown
Joel Matip
Joel Matip is recovering from surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The 32-year-old, who is the final months of his contract at Liverpool, is likely to miss the rest of the season. The centre-back was left stricken on the Anfield turf in the 70th minute of the dramatic Premier League 4-3 win over Fulham in December after an off-the-ball incident.
Expected return date: Unknown
Ben Doak
Ben Doak is out long-term with a serious knee injury sustained playing for the under-21s. Assistant manager Pep Lijnders recently said of Doak’s condition: “That’s not a good one. He tore his lateral meniscus, which needs surgery.
“That one will take (a) longer time. He is young, he is a fit guy, he is a positive guy so for sure he will come back stronger, and we need him to come back with the same fire he has with the ball, how he was. We will wait for him.”
Expected return date: Unknown
