Conor Bradley has been sidelined with a hamstring injury in a blow to Liverpool's hopes
Liverpool could be without SIX first-team stars against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Both Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate suffered issues in the 2-0 victory over Real Madrid on Wednesday night in the Champions League. The Frenchman hobbled off in the second half and is set for an extended stint on the sidelines after injuring his knee, in a big blow to boss Arne Slot.
He wrote on Instagram: "So frustrating to pick up this injury right at the end of a great game on Wednesday night. Now we start the recovery process but one thing I promise is I will come back and be the best I can be once again. Thank you for the amazing support at Anfield. Inshallah we will keep going and I will support the team every step of the way."
Northern Ireland international Bradley, outstanding in shackling Kylian Mbappe and a key attacking weapon throughout against the European champions, suffered a suspected hamstring injury.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez are expected to replace the pair in the starting lineup against Pep Guardiola's four-in-a-row Premier League winners when they lock horns. Alexander-Arnold has only just returned from a hamstring injury of his own.
The Reds have also recently welcomed back Harvey Elliott from a fractured foot, although he is yet to play since August. But they'll continue to be without others.
Federico Chiesa, who hasn’t played since September, has joined in parts of sessions with his team-mates but is yet to make a full return to training, reports the Liverpool Echo. Diogo Jota and Alisson Becker have also not yet returned after lengthy lay-offs.
Slot addressed the media at his latest pre-match press conference on Thursday, where Konate and Bradley were the main focus of attention. And with Kostas Tsimikas also sidelined with an ankle injury, the Reds are down to the bare bones at the back - Jarell Quansah is the only senior option left in reserve.
Indeed, such is the extent of Liverpool's current issues, Slot currently has more players ruled out (six) than both Pep Guardiola (five) and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta (three) - both of whom's issues have been publicly bemoaned by the pair.
Arne Slot during Liverpool training ( Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
"This happens through a season,” he acknowledged after losing Konate and Bradley midweek. “I am really hoping both of them are available to play because we want them all available, but if not someone else has to step up and until now this season everybody that I [have] selected to start has shown up.
"That's also what is going to happen on Sunday, if they can play but also if they can't play then other ones will step up."
At his pre-City press conference, he added: “I think in general people only talk about injuries if the results are not there, so it’s a good thing that nobody talked about our injuries.
“That means that we got our results in. But the moment you start to lose, it’s about a kick-off time on a Saturday afternoon or it’s about injuries or we always come up with certain ideas why, especially me, we didn’t win. But nine out of 10 times it’s about the quality of the players from the other team or their game plan.
“We do have some very important players for us being injured but if the replacements do so well it's normal that people don't talk about it that much. It is true that missing Alisson, which has been a starter for this club and been so important for this club for so long, missing Diogo Jota [and] missing Trent in the last two games - those are players that have had impact a lot on the results in recent years.
"But it’s a good thing we don’t talk about it.”
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