Liverpool are flying under Arne Slot with the Reds enjoying a memorable week with wins over Real Madrid and Manchester City at Anfield.
Liverpool are nine points clear at the top of the Premier League ahead of another huge games for Slot’s side, with trips to Newcastle and Everton to come next.
The unrelenting nature of the festive fixture schedule, and short turnaround between the trips to St James’ Park and Goodison, will be a test of Slot’s squad.
Liverpool have coped well with injuries so far, with 18 wins in 20 games this season as replacements have stepped up to meet the mark for the league leaders.
Here’s the latest Liverpool team news and injury updates ahead of midweek
Ibrahima Konate
The centre-back cruelly picked up a knee injury towards the end of an excellent performance against Real Madrid and Konate appeared to rule himself out for a run of games with an update before the Manchester City match.
Joe Gomez filled in against the champions and did not put a foot wrong in defence alongside Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool kept a clean sheet. After the 2-0 win, Arne Slot confirmed that Konate will be out for a “few weeks” and will definitely miss the Newcastle and Everton games.
Conor Bradley
Like Konate, Bradley’s excellent night against Real Madrid was ended due to injury with the right back feeling his hamstring. Arne Slot also said that Bradley is set to miss a “few weeks”, with Trent Alexander-Arnold returning just in time to start against Manchester City and play 70 minutes of the 2-0 win.
“I have said many times before, it’s always difficult to judge how many weeks this exactly is because you can think in the beginning it’ll be like this and then the end stage of an injury process can always differ a bit. They will not be in the team this week, for sure, both of them,” Slot said of Bradley and Konate.
Diogo Jota
The return of the Portugal forward could offer Liverpool a timely boost ahead of the festive period, but Jota is yet to return to the Liverpool squad after picking up a chest injury against Chelsea immediately after the last international break.
Arne Slot’s last update on Jota’s availability came before the Real Madrid match in the Champions League and the Liverpool manager said he was “not there yet” with a timeline not offered on his return.
Kostas Tsimikas
The third Liverpool defender to currently be sidelined, Tsimikas has not featured since picking up an injury while on international duty with Greece. The left back is not expected to return this week, meaning that he will miss the games against Newcastle and Everton.
“Kostas [Tsimikas] will not be with us in the upcoming week,” Slot said after the win over Manchester City, which means Andy Robertson is likely to start both games.
Alisson Becker
The goalkeeper is back in training but is yet to return to the Liverpool squad, with Caoimhin Kelleher impressing in goal and keeping clean sheets in the wins over Real Madrid and Manchester City. Slot said he could expect to return “before the end of December”.
“But we are just waiting for the moment that Alisson is completely fit because Caoimh is doing too well to put Alisson in goal if he is only on 50 per cent [fitness] and that would not be good for Alisson and not be good for the team,” Slot said.
“He’s getting there. It might take a few more extra days but he’s getting closer and closer and like I’ve always said the end phase of rehab is always the period where you feel like, ‘OK, is he really there or does he need a few extra days?’ But he will be in goal before the end of December if things continue like they are.”
