Liverpool FC will host 17th-placed Leicester City on Boxing Day, and the Foxes are facing two significant injury doubts.
Strike Jamie Vardy, who has scored six and assisted three this season, has a short-term issue that could prevent him from making the trip.
Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy had this to say about the striker at the pre-match press conference:
“‘He picked up some knocks, we have to address him today and tomorrow, see if he’s ready for Thursday. I don’t want to share personal medical updates of players but we have to address it. ‘It will hopefully be fine, if not, it will be a short-term issue.”
The Foxes are also sweating on the fitness of goalkeeper Mads Hermansen. He got injured in the game against Newcastle and then missed a 3-0 loss to Wolves last weekend. If he is not fit, former Liverpool stopper Danny Ward will be between the posts. He has conceded six goals between his minutes against the Magpies and starting against Wolves.
“It’s about his development and how he improves on a daily basis.”
“He is improving on a daily basis. We want him fit but of course, you can’t rush these things. We will see when he’s 100 per cent fit to perform for the team and I’m confident it will be in the short term, but I don’t know when.”
Since appointing Ruud van Nistelrooy, Leicester had somewhat of a slight new manager bounce but have since come back to Earth. They head into this game having conceded a mind-boggling 82 shots in 4 games since he took over, and that number could increase significantly against a Liverpool side in top form. Arne Slot may be tempted to rotate several players as he attempts to navigate a busy festive season fixture list, and doing so against Leicester may appear to be a relatively safe game to do so.