Liverpool will be without several key players for its Champions League clash against LASK on Wednesday, following the 3-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City at the weekend
Andoni Iraola is preparing his team for the Champions League
Andoni Iraola is preparing his team for the Champions League(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool continues to grapple with numerous injury setbacks ahead of Wednesday's Champions League encounter with LASK in Austria, as the Reds attempt to recover from their 3-0 Premier League loss to Manchester City.
The game signaled Liverpool's comeback to competitive soccer following the prolonged international interval. The Merseysiders mounted a resilient challenge throughout much of the match, despite their fitness woes and the need to reorganize their starting XI.
Nevertheless, the unavailability of key personnel, including Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo, limited Liverpool's attacking potency. The team's challenge grew considerably harder when Ryan Gravenberch received his marching orders following a second caution.
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The Netherlands international had previously been treading on thin ice after collecting a debatable yellow card for seemingly treading on Elliot Anderson's foot as the City midfielder tumbled to the turf. Erling Haaland exploited Liverpool's reduced numbers, breaking the deadlock merely three minutes after Gravenberch's expulsion.
Jeremy Doku subsequently extended City's lead with a magnificent curled strike before Rayan Cherki contributed a third to complete an emphatic triumph for Enzo Maresca's team.
Attention now shifts to the Champions League. Liverpool will be without long-term absentees Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni in Austria, who continue their respective rehabilitation programs.
Federico Chiesa will miss Liverpool's midweek game
Federico Chiesa will miss Liverpool's midweek game(Image: Getty Images)
However, Alexander Isak, Gakpo and Szoboszlai will also be unavailable after missing the defeat at Anfield.
Isak picked up a thigh injury while on duty with Sweden during the recent international break, and Gakpo suffered an ankle complaint while representing the Netherlands. Szoboszlai, meanwhile, is dealing with a hamstring concern.
While Iraola indicated none of the trio faced particularly serious setbacks, he acknowledged that uncertainty remained about when the players would be available again.
Reds captain Virgil van Dijk also suffered a troublesome knock to his calf following Sunday's loss, but the defender has been named in the 23-man traveling party.
Yet Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa are ineligible for selection in Europe and will not play on Wednesday.
Regarding the opposition, winger Moses Usor remains a significant doubt for the game after sustaining a shoulder problem against Rapid Vienna.
"With Mo, it's the shoulder joint that is a bit injured. I hope it won't take too long," Lask manager Dietmar Kuhbauer said.
George Bello, who likewise picked up an injury against Vienna, has been sidelined. "George appears to have a muscle injury. He definitely won't be available on Wednesday," Kuhbauer confirmed.