Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool return to action on Thursday evening with a daunting trip to runaway Premier League leaders Arsenal. The biggest question mark surrounds the fitness of Hugo Ekitike.
The France international, Liverpool’s leading scorer this season with 11 goals, missed Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Fulham due to a hamstring issue.
Head coach Arne Slot has confirmed that Ekitike remains a doubt for Thursday’s clash, with the striker yet to take part in training this week following the injury scare.
Speaking in his press conference on Wednesday ahead of the fixture against Arsenal, Slot said: “He has not trained with us until now and let’s see if he can today [Wednesday].
“I’ve said, I think, two or three days ago when we played Fulham that he is not going to be out for long but because games come so fast he is in between maybe training with the team or it would take him one or two days extra.”
There are additional concerns elsewhere in the squad. Alexander Isak is set to be sidelined for several months after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury that included a fractured fibula.
The injury was sustained when he was caught by Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven while scoring Liverpool’s opener in the 2-1 away win before Christmas.
Florian Wirtz, however, is expected to be available after featuring and scoring against Fulham despite dealing with similar hamstring soreness over the festive period.
Mohamed Salah remains absent as he continues his Africa Cup of Nations campaign with Egypt, who progressed to the quarter-finals this week. Teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni is also unavailable, having been ruled out for the season following ACL surgery in September.
Meanwhile, Wataru Endo continues to miss out after spending the past month on the sidelines with an ankle injury picked up in the 3-3 draw away to Leeds United.
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