Liverpool face a trip to Brighton on Saturday as they look to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League table, but they have injury concerns.
Jurgen Klopp and his men remain four points clear of title rivals Manchester City after 21 games, and they’ll be eager to bounce back after the disappointment of being knocked out of the FA Cup by Wolves on Monday night.
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They’ll have a chance to do so against Brighton, but Klopp confirmed in his press conference on Friday that Dejan Lovren, Joe Gomez and Adam Lallana will play no part in the encounter, as seen in freelance injury analyst Ben Dinnery’s tweet below.
Lovren was forced to limp off at Molineux after just a few minutes as he was seen clutching his hamstring, while Lallana was ruled out just prior to kick-off as Klopp conceded to the media that he had picked up a knock.
Meanwhile, Gomez is a long-term absentee and remains sidelined, although there was more positive news on both Joel Matip and Jordan Henderson as they are seemingly making progress in their recoveries from a fractured collarbone and calf problem respectively.
While it’s never an ideal time to lose key individuals to injury, Klopp will be desperate to get as close to a fully-fit squad back at his disposal as soon as possible.
The Reds will see the Champions League return next month when they face Bayern Munich, while the pressure will only increase in the title race in the coming months.
Particularly given three of the injuries detailed below are concerned with defensive options, it raises question marks over whether or not Liverpool will be able to maintain their impressive defensive record in their absence. Time will tell, but having Matip and Henderson back in the more immediate future will be a welcome boost.
Joel Matip (fractured collarbone) trained for the first time with the team on Thursday. “But we’ll have to see. [We] decide day-to-day.” Jordan Henderson (calf) will re-join the group today but Dejan Lovren (hamstring), Gomez (lower leg) and Adam Lallana are all ruled out. #LFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) January 11, 2019
Klopp hopeful that Dejan Lovren (hamstring) can return after the Crystal Palace game. “[His injury] is serious, but not that serious.” #LFC
? Injury Tablehttps://t.co/cckOHhGs0b
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) January 11, 2019
