Latest Liverpool injury news with updates on Ibrahima Konate and Federico Chiesa before Arne Slot's side face Bournemouth in the Premier League
Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool
LiverpooI defender Ibrahima Konate(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
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Liverpool are back in action when they travel to Bournemouth this Saturday. Arne Slot is waiting on the fitness of at least one star as he goes hunting for the Reds' first Premier League win of the calendar year.
Slot's men made positive strides when they defeated Marseilles 3-0 away in the Champions League on Wednesday night. That result followed four consecutive Premier League draws, which have marked wasted opportunities to claw back the points deficit to Manchester City and Aston Villa ahead of Liverpool on the table.
The next opportunity to get back on track domestically is another away trip, this time to Bournemouth, who are winless in two matches since allowing star attacker Antoine Semenyo to complete a reported £64m switch to Man City earlier in January.
Here, the ECHO rounds up Liverpool's latest fitness concerns heading into their next match;
Ibrahima Konate
For the midweek visit to France, the Reds were without Ibrahima Konate as he was dealing with what at the time was said to be a family matter. Sadly, the defender has since confirmed the death of his father and Slot has now suggested he will remain absent this weekend.
"I've spoken to him a few times and these are private matters and they should stay that way. It's very obvious when something like that happens the player needs time to be there for his family and for himself," Slot told reporters on Friday morning.
Joe Gomez provided cover at centre-back in Konate's absence on Wednesday.
Potential return date: Unknown
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Federico Chiesa
Meanwhile, Federico Chiesa was named on Liverpool's bench in Marseille but had to drop out as he was unable to overcome a new injury.
"There was a recovery session yesterday, so we have to wait and see today," the head coach added on the Italian forward's condition.
"It’s difficult for me to say whether he is available for Bournemouth. We don't expect him to be out for long, so it would be 50-50 maybe if he is available for tomorrow."
Potential return date: January 24 vs Bournemouth (A) - Premier League
Long-term injuries
Providing a comprehensive injury update, Slot then added: "For the rest, at this moment in time, no-one picked up a knock, no-one had a problem after the game, but sometimes when you start training again you can feel something.
"But I expect all the same players to be available for tomorrow."
This would leave just three more players ruled out from making the trip to Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium this January.
Alexander Isak is not expected to play again before March at the very soonest as he recovers from surgery on a lower leg injury picked up in the win over Tottenham Hotspur before Christmas.
Conor Bradley is unlikely to feature again this season as he also required surgery, in his case on a knee injury, sustained in injury time of the goalless draw at Arsenal earlier this month. Fortunately for Slot, the head coach will be able to name Calvin Ramsay as right-back cover in his squad at Bournemouth if he so chooses as the Scotsman did not travel to Marseille on account of not being named in the Reds' Champions League squad for the league phase.
And lastly, Geovani Leoni is the second Liverpool player not expected to return from injury before the season's end. The 18-year-old signed from Parma last summer was making his debut last September when he suffered a devastating ACL injury.
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