Liverpool FC will welcome Sunderland AFC to Anfield on Wednesday evening for a Premier League match, with kick-off scheduled for 20:15. Manager Arne Slot faces significant challenges in team selection due to multiple player injuries, which may force tactical adjustments ahead of the encounter.
Injury updates reveal that right-back Conor Bradley is ruled out after sustaining an injury during the November international break while representing Northern Ireland. Although he has returned to training, Slot stated that Bradley is not yet prepared for match action. Additionally, full-back Jeremie Frimpong has been sidelined since October due to a muscular injury. Slot confirmed that Frimpong will miss at least three more matches before he is fit to return.
The situation worsened for Liverpool with the news that Giovanni Leoni has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL injury during his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup in September. Slot remarked, “He is not in a good place because he tore his ACL, which means he will be out around a year.”
Another player to watch is midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, who is currently walking a fine line with four yellow cards this season. If he receives another booking against Sunderland, Szoboszlai will serve a one-match suspension, necessitating careful management of his discipline on the field.
With Bradley and Frimpong unavailable, Slot may opt to deploy Szoboszlai in a makeshift right-back role again. Alternatively, he could choose to field Joe Gomez or Curtis Jones in that position to allow Szoboszlai to maintain his influential role in midfield.
Slot’s decisions do not end there; with Alexander Isak having scored his first Premier League goal against West Ham at the weekend, the coach must decide whether to start him against Sunderland or to use Hugo Ekitike from the beginning.
Following the match against Sunderland, Liverpool will head to Elland Road to take on Leeds United on Saturday, December 6. This will be followed by a crucial Champions League fixture against Inter Milan on Tuesday, December 9, before returning to Premier League action against Brighton at Anfield on Saturday, December 13.
As Liverpool navigates these injury challenges, the upcoming matches promise to be critical in determining their trajectory in both domestic and European competitions.
