Having taken on Lyon in the Dubai Super Cup in their first game since the start of the World Cup break over the weekend, Liverpool’s return to competitive action is looming.
The Reds are next in action against AC Milan in their second Dubai friendly on Friday, before real club football returns as their League Cup defence continues away at Man City on Thursday 22 December.
In a normal season, you’d expect a much-changed XI from Jurgen Klopp for a League Cup fourth round tie on the eve of the festive period, even if it is against the might of Pep Guardiola’s men at the Etihad. But with a winter World Cup interrupting the global football calendar, this is no normal campaign.
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Liverpool got off quite lightly compared to some of their domestic rivals when it came to representation out in Qatar. While the Reds waved off seven players to the World Cup, Man City saw 16 members of their squad compete in the tournament. Only Barcelona recorded more.
Of course, with the tournament now at its semi-final stage, many of those players have seen their World Cup exploits already ended. Ibrahima Konate is the only Liverpool representative left standing with France, while Argentina’s Julian Alvarez is Man City’s sole player still competing after Netherlands, Brazil, England and Portugal were all knocked out in the quarter-finals. Had that quartet progressed to the final four instead, they’d have as many as 10 players in the semi-finals.
Klopp confirmed Darwin Nunez would link up with his squad at their mid-season training camp in Dubai on Monday, after Uruguay were knocked out in the group-stages at the start of December. With Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Fabinho all suffering quarter-final exits with England, the Netherlands and Brazil, the German confirmed that the quintet would not report for duty before their return to Merseyside.
“We will stay here a few more days, we have another game and it is all good,” Klopp said after facing Lyon. “Darwin Nunez will join us tomorrow and then the others, we will see in England again, everyone has a week off after the World Cup.”
With Liverpool facing AC Milan on Friday 16 December, Nunez is set to feature against the Serie A outfit and will likely be available to face Man City the following week. But the Reds could be without plenty of others.
Konate will definitely miss the trip to the Etihad. The World Cup final takes place on Sunday 18 December and even if France lose to Morocco in the semi-finals, they still have to take part in the third-place play-off on Saturday 17 December. Then given a week off, it’s likely the defender would also miss Liverpool’s trip to Aston Villa on Boxing Day before reporting back for training ahead of the home clash with Leicester City on Friday 30 December.
Meanwhile, Henderson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Alisson and Fabinho are also doubts for the away trip to Man City, depending on when exactly they return to training. If we take a week off to mean exactly seven days from time of exit, the latter trio are due back on Friday 16 December with the England pair set to follow on Saturday 17 December.
However, considering Liverpool are still in Dubai at such a time, playing against Milan before flying back over the weekend, you’d imagine a return to team training would perhaps instead follow on Monday 19 December. As a result, they would have three days’ training before the Reds take on Man City.
Enough time to prepare for a substitute appearance? Perhaps, but a starting berth seems unlikely depending on how their levels compare to the players who have been back with Klopp since the start of the mid-season training camp. As a result, when you include the injured Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Arthur Melo, Liverpool could be without as many as nine first team players at the Etihad.
Meanwhile, if we are to assume that Man City will manage their World Cup players in similar fashion, it means Alvarez won’t be available to face Liverpool. Nathan Ake, Ederson, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Jack Grealish, Kalvin Phillips, Phil Foden, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo are also all doubts.
However, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Aymeric Laporte and Manuel Akanji should all be available after Germany and Belgium suffered shock group-stage exits while Spain and Switzerland were eliminated in the round-of-16.
Either way, Guardiola will have the likes of Erling Haaland and Riyad Mahrez fit and refreshed after the World Cup break, along with fringe players Stefan Ortega, Sergio Gomez and Cole Palmer. Yet Liverpool can say the same of Joe Gomez, Thiago Alcantara, James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Kostas Tsimikas, Calvin Ramsay, Andy Robertson, Fabio Carvalho, Joel Matip and Caoimhin Kelleher.
Klopp might be without a number of players when the Reds face Man City, with Liverpool’s plan for their World Cup quarter-finalists perhaps suggesting they won’t be thrown straight back into action against the reigning Premier League champions. But they at least have a number of senior stars still available who will be itching to start after a football-free winter break.
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