Cody Gakpo will return to the Liverpool starting lineup when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
Liverpool will be eager to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they lock horns with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Arne Slot has new injury concerns to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Alisson Becker and Mohamed Salah are the latest absentees, with the duo unavailable to take on Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend. Alisson will also miss his commitments with Brazil during the international break. However, there is some positive news, as Alexander Isak has resumed training, although Saturday’s game comes too soon for him.
So, Giovanni Leoni (knee), Conor Bradley (knee), and Wataru Endo (ankle) are the only other players in the treatment room. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Slot provided fitness updates on Salah and Joe Gomez.
The Liverpool boss said, “Indeed, [it’s] unusual [Salah’s injury]. As a result of that I think you can expect the outcome. So, [he’s] not available for tomorrow. The good thing for Liverpool and for us is that we go to an international break. The bad thing for Egypt is that he can’t go there.”
“We are hoping also with what Mo has shown in the past that he can recover faster than other players might in similar situations because he takes such good care of his body. History has shown that he can be earlier back than some others. But it’s only two weeks when we go again so let’s hope in that period of time he can be back.”
“Joe was on the bench but he wasn’t able to come in. We tried to postpone it as far as we could. He already told me before the start of the game he didn’t feel good. I said, ‘OK, let’s wait to half-time [and] a miracle can happen – we might need you in extra-time.’ He might be available tomorrow but definitely not to start.”
Giorgi Mamardashvili will replace Alisson Becker between the sticks, with Liverpool lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. The backline will feature Jeremie Frimpong, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Milos Kerkez.
As for the midfield unit, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch will pair up in the double pivot, with Alexis Mac Allister reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Hugo Ekitike will lead the line for the away side against Brighton, with Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Gakpo, Mac Allister, Wirtz; Ekitike