Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Liverpool handed quadruple injury boost ahead of Manchester City clash

sportsmole.co.uk, 23 November 2023, 14:39
Liverpool have revealed that all of Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez have been involved in team training ahead of their blockbuster Premier League clash with Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime.

None of the quartet was able to take part in the Reds' 3-0 beating of Brentford before the international break, which saw the second-placed Reds move onto 27 points from their opening 12 fixtures this season.

Thanks to Mohamed Salah's brace and Diogo Jota's strike, Jurgen Klopp's men are above Arsenal by virtue of scoring one more goal than the Gunners, and the gap to upcoming opponents Man City now stands at just one point.

A first Premier League win at the Etihad since November 2015 would therefore propel Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table - for a few hours at least - but the Reds medical team have been caring for a plethora of stricken stars during the two-week hiatus.

However, on Thursday afternoon, Liverpool confirmed that Gravenberch, Jones, Konate and Gomez were all present on the AXA pitches, and the quartet are all expected to be involved in the clash with the champions.

Gravenberch had just started to cement a regular starting role in the Premier League before damaging his knee, forcing him to miss encounters with both Toulouse and Brentford, although Klopp stated with confidence that he would return once the international break had finished.

The Dutchman's fellow midfielder Jones sat out the same two fixtures as well as the 1-1 draw with Luton Town on November 5 due to a hamstring problem, and the Englishman is now in line for his first Premier League appearance since being sent off against Tottenham Hotspur on September 30.

Meanwhile, Konate was only able to make the bench against Toulouse before sitting out the beating of Brentford with a hamstring problem, which also forced him to pull out of the France squad.

The French Football Federation stated that Konate would be missing for two weeks with the low-grade issue, pouring doubt over his chances of being fit for the clash with Man City, but he is now primed to displace Joel Matip at the back.

Finally, Gomez was another absentee from the victory over Brentford with an unexplained issue, although a spot on the bench likely awaits the versatile defender, who has been deployed at left-back against Everton and Luton in recent weeks.

The Reds will continue to cope without Andrew Robertson for the remainder of the calendar year due to his shoulder injury, leaving Gomez to battle with Kostas Tsimikas and Luke Chambers for starts on the left-hand side of the backline.

Tsimikas's omission from Greece's Euro 2024 qualifier with France on Tuesday raised a few eyebrows, but the 27-year-old - who provided two assists against Brentford - has confirmed that the decision was discipline rather than injury-related.

Tsimikas should therefore be given the nod on the left at the Etihad, and Liverpool also revealed that their South American contingent - Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson Becker - had all trained after returning from their World Cup qualifiers.

Alisson and Mac Allister - who is also back from suspension - ought to make the first XI on Saturday, but Klopp may elect to keep Nunez and Diaz in reserve, as Jota and Cody Gakpo are competent options to start alongside Salah.

The Egypt international needs just one goal this weekend to reach 150 in the Premier League, and he has either scored or assisted in each of his last six top-flight games against Man City.

Top News

27 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Struggling FC Midtjylland welcome one of the most in-form clubs in Europe to Herning in the Europa League on Thursday, when Eintracht Frankfurt travel to the MCH Arena. 27 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City and Pep Guardiola have set and matched numerous unwanted records following their shock 3-3 draw with Feyenoord at the Etihad in the Champions League this evening. 27 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Erling Haaland has become the fastest player to reach 50 goal involvements in the Champions League, following his opening goal against Feyenoord this evening. 27 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Inter Miami have announced Argentina and Barcelona star Javier Mascherano as their new head coach. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk FC Twente will hope to pick up their first win of their Europa League campaign when they host Union SG in their fifth match in the competition on Thursday at De Grolsch Veste. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted his team are currently "fragile" following their 3-3 draw with Feyenoord in the Champions League, while the Spaniard appeared to be covered in cuts during his post-match interviews. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hungarian champions Ferencvaros are set to welcome Swedish champions Malmo to Groupama Arena on Thursday in their fifth Europa League game of the season. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy insists the 'wheels have come off' at Manchester City after their three-goal implosion on Tuesday night. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk In their fifth Europa League match of 2024-25, Portuguese side Braga will host Bundesliga team Hoffenheim at Estadio Municipal de Braga on Thursday. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Long-time teammates for both club and country, Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi are finally reunited. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lyon will seek to ignore off-field concerns and continue their excellent form on the pitch when they make the long trip to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag FK in the Europa League on Thursday. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Micah Richards was 'banned' from discussing Brest on Tuesday night, leading to a hilariously immature conversation about the French side. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Dutch giants Ajax will travel to the Basque region of Spain for Thursday's Europa League clash against Real Sociedad. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Robert Lewandowski now has over 100 Champions League goals, but he still has a long way to go to catch leader Cristiano Ronaldo. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ange Postecoglou may be forced into starting some of his big-hitters in attack when Tottenham Hotspur face Roma in the Europa League on Thursday. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Paulo Dybala could return to the Roma starting lineup when they face Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League in North London on Thursday night. 26 November 2024 talksport.com EA FC 25's Road to the Knockouts campaign is well underway as teams look to progress in Europe. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Man City's torrid run continues after they let a three-goal slip against Feyenoord in the Champions League. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Robert Lewandowski fired Barcelona to another three points in the Champions League as his Barca side emerged as 3-0 victors against Brest on Tuesday night, continuing their march toward the round of 16. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have seen their woes deepen as they were pegged back from 3-0 up to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord at the Etihad in the Champions League this evening. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich boosted their Champions League progression bid after a slow start to the league phase with a crucial 1-0 victory over 10-man Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening at the Allianz Arena, pushing PSG into a concerning position outside the top 24 qualification spots. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal scored five goals in a Champions League away game for just the third time as they obliterated a sorry Sporting Lisbon 5-1 at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Jude Bellingham has divided opinion among two of talkSPORT's most esteemed pundits following his latest press conference. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh off the back of their astonishing 4-0 win over Manchester City at the weekend, Tottenham Hotspur welcome a Roma side in disarray to North London in the Europa League on Thursday. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Arsenal defender Gabriel rubbed salt into Sporting's wounds by mocking superstar Viktor Gyokeres' iconic celebration. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Erling Haaland is back with a bang for Manchester City in the Champions League, but couldn't help his side to victory in a 3-3 draw. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Mohamed Salah is desperate to extend his time on Merseyside and is more likely to stay at Anfield beyond the summer than leave, Liverpool transfer expert David Lynch has claimed. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's win against Southampton on Sunday has made the Reds clear favourites for the Premier League title and was a sign that Arne Slot's side are ready to be champions, Reds expert David Lynch has argued. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Gabriel Agbonlahor has called on Liverpool to open the chequebook for Mohamed Salah and avoid an 'unforgivable' mistake. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Robert Lewandowski has followed in the footsteps of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with his latest and historic Champions League goal.