The Community Shield that will see Liverpool face off against Crystal Palace this year is nearly upon us.
Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas
Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas
The Community Shield that will see Liverpool face off against Crystal Palace this year is nearly upon us.
The winners of the Premier League and the winners of the FA Cup will play at Wembley this afternoon with the goal of winning the first bit of silverware that is up for grabs this season.
Two notable absences have been spotted from Liverpool’s 21-man squad.
Ryan Gravenberch is one of them as he is not with the Liverpool squad today as they gear up for the big game.
It is not because of the reason you may be thinking of though.
The Dutch midfielder received a straight red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity against Crystal Palace in the final Premier League game of last season.
As the Community Shield is Liverpool’s first competitive game following that red card, it would be easy to assume that the midfielder would be suspended for the game.
However, that is not the case.
Gravenberch received the red card within a Premier League match and as a result will only serve the ban in that competition.
He would’ve been available to play, but it has been confirmed by Lewis Steele that his partner is expecting a baby very soon, and so has opted to be with her and has dropped out of the squad.
The other notable absence is Kostas Tsimikas.
The Greek defender is understood to be considering his options following the summer signing of Milos Kerkez, with three senior left-backs currently in Slot’s squad.
Paul Joyce reveals that he is not in the squad due to particular interest from Nottingham Forest and other domestic and European sides.
Tsimikas was already second-choice after Andy Robertson, and with the arrival of Kerkez, he may just feel that his football is better off being played somewhere else.
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