Liverpool’s injury crisis has deepened ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League trip to LASK, with Dominik Szoboszlai unlikely to recover in time for the match.
The Hungary midfielder missed Sunday’s 3-0 defeat by Manchester City after returning from international duty with fatigue and a minor overload issue. Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are also unavailable, leaving Andoni Iraola with limited experienced attacking options.
Szoboszlai’s condition was assessed in training, but the Liverpool manager does not expect any of the injured players to return for the journey to Austria.
“Dom came from the national team with tiredness and overload. We put him as a floater in the training session to try to protect him, but he was not feeling okay,” Iraola said.
“It is something very small but now we play four games in 10 days, so it’s going to be difficult because now we fly to Austria in two days. I think it’s going to be difficult to recover any of the injured players.”
Liverpool injury crisis tested by demanding fixture schedule
Isak and Gakpo are being monitored after returning from international duty with thigh and ankle problems respectively. Although none of the injuries is currently believed to be long-term, the congested schedule means even minor issues could keep players out of several matches.
Liverpool face LASK on October 14, Brentford three days later and Villarreal on October 20, with further home fixtures against Brighton and Chelsea later in the month.
The shortage was evident in the defeat by Manchester City, and the potential absence of Szoboszlai alongside Isak and Gakpo would further reduce Iraola’s options during one of the busiest periods of the season.
The Liverpool manager must now manage his squad through a demanding run of fixtures while attempting to prevent the growing list of absentees from affecting results.
