Liverpool are set to take on Arsenal at the weekend in one of the biggest Premier League games of the season. With both teams tipped by many to win the title, the potential ramifications of this match are enormous.
Neither Liverpool nor Arsenal will be playing with a full-strength squad – they each have their own share of injuries and injury doubts.
Let’s take a look at who is likely to miss out on Sunday’s game – while Arsenal have more injuries than Liverpool, there are a couple of crucial Reds players who might fail to make the matchday squad.
Players to miss out
Jeremie Frimpong
Jeremie Frimpong is Liverpool’s only confirmed absentee for the Arsenal game. Arne Slot claimed he would be out of action ‘until the end of the international break’ in a press conference.
Dominick Szoboszlai performed a serviceable job at right-back in Frimpong’s absence. Will he need to deputise once again against the Gunners or will Conor Bradley be fit?
Bukayo Saka
This will be a major blow for Arsenal – Bukayo Saka has been ruled out of the Liverpool game with a hamstring problem and has yet to have a specific return date set.
Arsenal’s forward line will look noticeably more impotent without Saka in it – he could be out of action for up to four weeks.
Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus is a long term absentee for Arsenal, as he continues to recover from his ACL injury he suffered back in January.
Jesus is expected to be back in action towards the end of November – meaning he will have been out for almost a whole year when he returns.
Kai Havertz
Kai Havertz’s injury status is currently up in the air. While he will definitely miss out on the Liverpool game, the extent of his injuries have not yet been revealed.
Arsenal are weighing up the possibility of sending Havertz away for surgery – should this take place, the German international will be set for an extended period on the sidelines.
Martin Odegaard
Martin Odegaard is still recovering from a shoulder injury he picked up during Arsenal’s last Premier League game against Leeds United.
It looks likely that Odegaard will miss out on the Liverpool game – although he has been named in the Norway squad. As such, his injury may not be as serious as first thought.
Injury doubts
Alexis Mac Allister
Alexis Mac Allister has struggled for fitness since before the season began. He missed out on the Reds’ 3-2 win over Newcastle United and could also miss out on the Arsenal game.
He is nearing a return to full fitness – it remains to be seen if Slot will risk playing him in such a high-intensity game.
Christian Norgaard
Crucially, Norgaard has not been selected to be part of the Denmark squad ahead of the international break, despite being one of their key players.
This seems to indicate that he will not be fully fit to take on Liverpool at the weekend or even make the bench.
Ben White
Ben White picked up a knock in Arsenal’s first game of the season and missed out on the Leeds game as a consequence.
This is only thought to be precautionary, however – there is a strong chance that White will feature in Sunday’s matchday squad.
This promises to be a key early season game where new striker signings Hugo Ekitike and Viktor Gyokeres will likely be very important factors in the result.