**Joe Gomez could potentially return from injury for Liverpool’s visit of Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend, according to Arne Slot.**
The Reds face a huge game on Sunday afternoon, with Pep Guardiola’s side also knowing how important three points will be in terms of their title hopes.
Liverpool have been by injury problems of late, not least at right-back, with Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong and auxiliary option Gomez all unavailable, and the former potentially even out for the whole of 2026.
Speaking in his [pre-City press conference](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/jeremie-frimpong-and-joe-gomez-fitness-update), however, Slot confirmed that Gomez has a chance of returning to the squad, having not featured since the 3-2 defeat away to Bournemouth:
_“Jeremie will definitely not train this week, so he’s not available for the weekend. With Joe, we have a little bit of hope that he might train Saturday. So, not available to start but maybe available to help the team if needed during the game because, as you already know, there are not that many defenders available at the moment.”_
**Will Gomez start at right-back vs. Man City if he is fit?**
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Having Gomez back in the fold would be a big boost for Liverpool, with [Slot](https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/12/03/arne-slot-joe-gomez/) himself hailing the 28-year-old’s mentality in the past, saying:
_“Joe is patient in a good way, he always makes sure he is ready whenever the club or his teammates need him, and that is special when it comes to his mentality because not many players can do this for so many years that he has done this.”_
It would be a surprise if Gomez was thrown straight back into Liverpool’s starting lineup for such a big game this weekend, however, with Dominik Szoboszlai more likely to continue at right-back.
It is far from an ideal situation, especially as the Hungarian has been the Reds’ best player this season, excelling in his preferred midfield role, but his versatility is a potent weapon for Slot.
Liverpool cannot keep using Szoboszlai as a right-back, however, and once Gomez is fully fit, he needs to be used there instead of his teammate, at least until Frimpong is ready to return from his own injury absence.