Liverpool and Sunderland head into Wednesday night’s Premier League showdown at Anfield with both camps battling fitness setbacks — and Arne Slot is hoping the issues don’t derail his push for another crucial three points after the win over West Ham.
Liverpool’s Injury Picture
Liverpool will definitely be without three first-team players for the midweek fixture, as confirmed by Slot during Tuesday’s press briefing.
Conor Bradley has finally made his way back onto the training pitch, but the coaching staff are easing him in carefully. Slot revealed that the full-back joined group training for the first time but is still short of full readiness.
On the other flank, Jeremie Frimpong is edging nearer to a return after a muscle setback he suffered in October. Slot expects him to rejoin full training next week, though he warned that the defender is likely to miss a few more matches before being considered for selection.
With both right-backs unavailable, Liverpool have had to rotate Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, and Joe Gomez in the position during recent outings.
The third confirmed absentee is young defender Giovanni Leoni, who suffered a serious ACL injury earlier in the season. The setback will keep him out for the remainder of the campaign — a huge blow for the promising centre-back still adapting to life in England.
Sunderland’s Injury Concerns
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris is also assessing his own injury list ahead of the trip to Anfield.
Midfielder Mouhamadou Habib Diarra remains sidelined after undergoing groin surgery.
Noah Sadiki, who picked up a facial injury in their win against Bournemouth, is expected to feature despite still dealing with discomfort.
There is positive news for the Black Cats, however. Dennis Cirkin and Leo Hjelde both featured for the U21s last week and are close to a full first-team return, giving Le Bris a timely lift.
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