For tonight’s match against Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp will be forced to leave out two outfield players and a goalkeeper from his Liverpool side.
Despite the absence of James Milner and Kostas Tsimikas, the Reds are still in contention. After limping off in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, Mo Salah is expected to make a quick recovery.
The winger suffered a foot ailment but returned to training yesterday after scoring his 28th goal of the season from the penalty spot at the Amex Stadium.
Salah is almost set to start if he is given the go-ahead, as Liverpool try to cut the distance on Premier League leaders Manchester City to just a point. Klopp has a total of 23 first-team players from which to choose against Arsenal.
Due to the fact that the Liverpool manager may only name 20 players in his starting lineup, two outfielders, as well as third-choice goalkeeper Adrian, will miss out.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Takumi Minamino, and Divock Origi were deemed surplus to needs at Brighton.
Two of the aforementioned trio are expected to miss the cut after being on the outside looking in for the majority of the season.
Given that Milner will not be in London, Oxlade-Chamberlain – who joined the Reds from Arsenal for £35 million in 2017 – would make the most sense to bring into the fold and add to Klopp’s midfield options.
Liverpool is well-stocked in the attacking areas.
Salah, Sadio Mane, and Luis Diaz all started for Liverpool against Brighton, while Diogo Jota came in as a substitute and Roberto Firmino returned to the bench after a six-game absence.
Meanwhile, if Oxlade-Chamberlain gets the nod, Harvey Elliott can also play out wide, and Oxlade-Chamberlain can play as an auxiliary attacker.
Elliott, like Curtis Jones, has missed some games since returning from a devastating ankle injury.
This season, Joe Gomez has been frequently left out of squads.
However, with Tsimikas out, the England international will be called upon to provide defensive cover.