Liverpool will be hoping to bounce back from their damaging defeat by Arsenal when they take on Rangers in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Reds need to pick themselves up once more following a chastening 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday which was packed full of incident. Jurgen Klopp and his players left north London feeling aggrieved after losing to a contentious Bukayo Saka penalty, having not been given a spot-kick of their own for an apparent handball by Gabriel Magalhaes.
Klopp’s side have made a sluggish start in the Premier League and their difficulties have, in part, stemmed from injury problems. Unfortunately for the Liverpool manager, he now has more of those to contend with.
Luis Diaz has been ruled out until after the World Cup with a knee injury, while defenders Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold have both picked up injuries which will keep them out for action for around two weeks. However, there was some good news for Klopp, who put his players through their paces on Tuesday ahead of the trip to Ibrox for Wednesday’s 8pm kick-off.
Here Mirror Football takes you through all you need to know for the Reds’ latest training session at the AXA Training Centre.
1. Robertson boost
Kostas Tsimikas has been playing so well at left-back that Andy Robertson’s absence has not been as keenly felt as it might have been previously. But with fixtures coming thick and fast and Liverpool in dire need of some consistency, Klopp will be delighted to have Robertson back in training.
The Scotland international has not featured for Liverpool since the 4-1 thrashing by Napoli in their first Champions League fixture on September 7. Robertson picked up a knee injury before Ajax visited Anfield and, although he had the international break to recover, Klopp has been careful not to rush him back.
Robertson was not in the squad for the Arsenal game, but could return this week.
2. All eyes on Konate
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Ibrahima Konate has endured a frustrating start to the 2022/23 season, with a knee injury suffered in pre-season keeping him on the sidelines. The French centre-back made his return from the substitutes’ bench against Arsenal on the weekend and is now in line to start against Rangers and Manchester City this week.
Konate enjoyed a solid debut campaign with Liverpool last season and his pace could potentially be key to helping the creaking defence. With Matip now injured, Konate is very likely to start alongside Virgil van Dijk – like he did for much of last season.
3. Henderson focused
The Arsenal defeat was galling for all the Liverpool players. It has been particularly difficult for Jordan Henderson, who now finds himself at the centre of an FA probe.
Henderson was involved in a fiery confrontation with Arsenal defender Gabriel following Michael Oliver’s decision to award the Gunners a penalty for Thiago Alcantara’s foul on Gabriel Jesus. The FA has transcripts of the incident and Henderson is now awaiting the outcome of the FA’s review.
Henderson’s form has tailed off recently and Klopp really needs his captain to step up to the plate amid well-publicised problems in the middle of the pitch this season.
4. Firmino’s eyes on the prize
Roberto Firmino is one of few Liverpool players who has been in brilliant form of late. The Brazilian scored twice in the 3-3 draw against Brighton and showed he can find the back of the net without looking with an incisive finish off the bench against Arsenal on the weekend.
With Diaz now sidelined, Firmino’s importance to the team will be amplified. Klopp will have to re-jig his attack, with Darwin Nunez or Diogo Jota likely shunted to the left wing to fill in for the Colombian. That could leave the centre-forward spot free for Firmino, who is Liverpool’s top scorer this season with six goals.
5. Midfield reinforcements
Liverpool’s problems in central midfield were so acute at the start of the season that the club broke their longstanding approach to the transfer market by signing Arthur Melo on deadline day. In news which summed up Liverpool’s misfortune, Arthur has since picked up a serious quad injury which will keep him out until 2023 at least.
However, it seems those problems might finally be beginning to ease, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones taking part in training on Tuesday. Jones has not played since the Community Shield in July due to a stress fracture, but returned to full training on October 6. The 21-year-old could be on the bench against Rangers.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been out with a hamstring problem since July and is further behind Jones on the comeback trail. But with Naby Keita still absent, the former Arsenal man’s presence is a welcome one.
