An extensive summary of the injuries that Manchester City and Liverpool are dealing with before their Premier League match on Saturday
The managerial prowess of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp will be put to the test on Saturday when they try to assemble their injured squads for Liverpool’s trip to Manchester City.
Due to the fact that both teams have frequently fought to the very last minute for championships, the meeting has historically had an advantage in the modern Premier League era. This was reinforced when the Reds’ performance in the final action before the international break guaranteed they would play the league leaders in second place.
However, several of the stars from both teams will undoubtedly miss the top-of-the-table match owing to injury issues, and it might come too soon for other contenders to recover.
The ECHO summarizes the most recent fitness news from the teams of Man City and Liverpool below:
Liverpool
Ibrahima Konate
Injury: Hamstring
What is known: Since the 1-1 draw with Luton at the beginning of November, the center defender has not played for the Reds. After taking a break in Toulouse, he missed the victory over Brentford prior to the halftime break because of his second hamstring issue in as many months.
He will miss France’s World Cup qualifying matches against Gibraltar and Greece this week as a result of this, yet national team boss Didier Deschamps stated on Monday that his absence was only preventative.
His testing came back normal, though. The coach said to the French media that “he needs some time to not take any risks.” He already has an injury in that area. Neither I nor he had any interest in getting in touch with him. He could have only been available for training on Friday, November 17, or Saturday, November 18, in the best case situation.
Deschamps suggested that Konate would start training over the weekend, so there’s a chance he makes the cut for Saturday lunchtime.
Possible return date: November 25 vs Manchester City
Curtis Jones
Injury: Hamstring
What we know: Since his withdrawal from the game in the 61st minute of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup round-of-16 match against Bournemouth on November 1, the Euro Under-21 winner has been missed by this Liverpool squad.
As a result, Jones has missed the last three games across all competitions. Nevertheless, there is hope that he will play in Saturday’s away game because his issue was recently classified as “low-grade.”
Possible return date: November 25 vs Manchester City
Ryan Gravenberch
Injury: Knee
What is known: A knee injury derailed the 21-year-old’s promising start to his Liverpool career, just as he had established himself as a regular alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
The idea that he would have been eligible for a call-up from the Netherlands this month for the first time since a dispute with superiors further emphasizes how brutal the game of football can be at times.
However, just like his midfield partner Jones, Gravenberch is expected to recover in time for Man City, bringing his run of missing games to an end at three.
Possible return date: November 25 vs Manchester City
Conor Bradley
Injury: Stress fracture
What is known: Just two games into the team’s summer preseason practices, 20-year-old Bradley suffered the devastating blow of a stress fracture in his back.
Due to this, he has missed the entire 2023–24 season. However, before to this month’s 3-2 Europa League loss to Toulouse, he was sighted in open training with the rest of his teammates.
The young Northern Irishman might find that a match of this caliber comes too soon, so maybe LASK at Anfield—the game just following City—would be a more reasonable goal.
Possible return date: November 30 vs LASK
Joe Gomez
Injury: Unknown
What is known is that Gomez was unexpectedly missing from the Reds’ triumph over Brentford as well.
The Englishman had terrible, chronic issues in the past, but this season he has returned to his former self, albeit largely as a left back and not in his natural position in central defense.
Before the team’s most recent game, Klopp stated that the seriousness of the problem will need to be evaluated. Since then, there has been no update.
Possible return date: TBC
Stefan Bajcetic
Injury: Adductor
What is known: Bajcetic, the second Spanish maestro who appears to be having trouble at this club, has also missed extended periods of time due to injury since before the 2022–2023 season concluded.
He only had two appearances as a right back so far this season in September before suffering an injury that has prevented him from playing and will, regrettably, prevent him from playing in the upcoming game.
The 19-year-old recently discussed the difficulties he faced so early in his career.
Possible return date: TBC
Thiago Alcantara
Injury: Hip
What is known is that because to setbacks following hip surgery, Thiago has not started a game for Liverpool since February 4, 2023, and has not appeared as a substitute since April 26, 2023.
Klopp stated at the beginning of the month that the Spaniard’s realistic goal would be the New Year, so he will not be participating in any way on Saturday.
Possible return date: January 2024
Andy Robertson
Injury: Shoulder
What is known is that Robertson missed the October international break due to a dislocated shoulder, which is another issue for a Reds player that needed surgery.
Since then, he has missed seven club games; given Liverpool’s hectic holiday schedule, that figure will rise significantly. The Scottish player is unlikely to play before the New Year and will not be participating against Man City.
Despite this, he is still very positive, saying to Viaplay recently, “I’m getting there, slowly and surely.” The most important thing was that the surgery went well and there were no aftereffects.
“After three weeks of surgery, everything is going great. I just need to take things little by little, week by week. So far, so good. So far, everything has gone smoothly, and perhaps this will continue. Hopefully, I’ll be back on the grass in no time.”
Possible return date: January 2024
