Arne Slot confirms a back injury for Hugo Ekitike after Liverpool's 4-1 defeat to PSV in the Champions League
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 26: Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool goes off with an injury during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD5 match between Liverpool FC and PSV Eindhoven at Anfield on November 26, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool goes off with an injury during the Champions League match with PSV Eindhoven at Anfield
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Arne Slot has confirmed Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike suffered a back injury in Wednesday night's 4-1 defeat to PSV in the Champions League. The France international was one of two changes on the night as he came in for Alexander Isak and was bright in the first half as the two teams went in at half time with the scores at 1-1.
However, Ekitike, who signed for £79m from Eintracht Frankfurt in July, was withdrawn for Isak after the break as he pulled up with what appeared to be a muscle issue in a game that saw the Reds succumb to a ninth defeat in their last 12 games.
Slot confirmed the forward was in fact experiencing back spasm in his post-match press conference and told TNT Sport: "Especially at the start of the second half, I constantly felt: 'What's wrong with Hugo?'
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"It felt as if he couldn't move as he did [in] the first half. So, that's why our press was, I think, also a little bit off.
"And he just told me that in the first five to 10 minutes of the first half he already felt his back too much.
"That's also why he had to go out."
Dominik Szoboszlai levelled after Ivan Perisic's early penalty but the Eredivisie champions made it 2-1 after the break through Guus Til before substitute Couhaib Driouech struck twice to condemn the Premier League champions to a third straight loss in all competitions and their ninth since late September.
The defeat leaves Liverpool 13th in the Champions League league phase standings with three victories and two defeats from five matches.
The top eight automatically qualify for the round of 16 with the teams finishing ninth to 24th - with the first eight seeded, and the next eight unseeded - going into the knockout phase play-offs.
The Reds face a tricky trip to fourth-placed Inter on December 9 before travelling to Marseille, who are currently 21st, and hosting Qarabag, who are 19th, in the new year.
Next up for Slot's side is a Premier League trip to West Ham United on Sunday.
That is followed by a home match against Sunderland next Wednesday and a trip to Leeds United on Saturday week.
Should Ekitike be ruled out of the clash with West Ham, he would join a number of other players on the sidelines.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker missed out against PSV through illness while defenders Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni, as well as midfielder Florian Wirtz, are all injured.
Slot is expected to give a fitness update at his press conference at 3.30pm today (Thursday) to preview the game with West Ham.