Liverpool are reportedly facing a potential setback ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal as midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is uncertain for the match.
However, Jurgen Klopp has included Thiago Alcantara and Darwin Nunez in the squad for the highly anticipated encounter at the Emirates Stadium.
The Reds are top of the league table with 51 points, five points ahead of the Gunners who have won their last two games since suffering a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup last month.
Szoboszlai has emerged as a key player in Klopp’s revamped midfield, making a significant impact during his debut season in England. He has contributed five goals and four assists in 28 appearances this campaign.
He missed four consecutive Liverpool games due to a hamstring injury he picked up on New Year’s Day against Newcastle United. However, his return has been impressive as he made an impact by providing an assist in a dominant 5-2 FA Cup victory over Norwich City.
The 23-year-old also scored in the 4-1 win over Chelsea last Wednesday at Anfield and after the game, there were no reports of any lingering physical issues for the Hungarian midfielder.
According to reports, Szoboszlai was not seen with the rest of the squad ahead of the Arsenal tie and this could be a huge blow for Klopp.
The 56-year-old will continue to be without Mohamed Salah who remains sidelined with a muscle issue and Kostas Tsimikas. Tsimikas has missed all of the Reds’ fixtures in January due to the broken collarbone he picked up during the 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Anfield in late December.
Wataru Endo will not be available despite Japan’s 2-1 loss to Iran in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup on Saturday – while Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak, and Joel Matip are long-term absentees.
However, there is some good news as Thiago Alcantara and Darwin Nunez made the journey to face Arsenal, although the former could start from the bench after nine months out with a hip injury.
Nunez suffered a foot injury in the first half of Liverpool’s 4-1 victory over Chelsea earlier in the week. Despite managing to finish the game, Klopp disclosed on Friday morning that the No.9 would undergo assessment before the visit to the Emirates Stadium.
“I don’t know if Darwin is available or not because after 20 minutes somebody stepped on his foot and it was very painful after the game,” the manager said, at his pre-match press conference.
“He only took his boot off after the game because he didn’t want to see it before, he knew there was something. So, he left the stadium in a boot, and it was not a football boot.
“So, nothing broke, X-ray clear, but [it is] swollen and we have to see if he can get his foot back into a boot or not because we all know that takes time. I did not see him this morning so we have to wait a little bit.”
The Uruguay international was subsequently pictured participating in Liverpool’s training session on Friday afternoon.
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