Liverpool boss Arne Slot will be missing four players against PSG this week. Another four players are walking a tightrope and will be until the semi-final stage
Liverpool will be missing at least four players when it faces Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday. Despite not having a game this weekend, the Reds’ list of unavailable players has expanded ahead of their next match.
Joe Gomez and Tyler Morton are both out for the long haul after undergoing surgery for hamstring and shoulder injuries respectively. Conor Bradley is also sidelined for several weeks following a hamstring injury he sustained against Aston Villa last month.
Adding to Liverpool’s woes, Amara Nallo will also be absent from their Champions League round-of-16 tie due to his red card during his Reds debut against PSV Eindhoven in January. Granted, the young player was unlikely to feature in Paris, so his absence won’t pose a selection conundrum for Arne Slot.
However, Liverpool is also grappling with disciplinary issues as it aims to advance in the Champions League. Four of its players are treading a tightrope, facing potential suspensions for the round-of-16 second leg against the Ligue 1 heavyweights at Anfield
Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson and Harvey Elliott have all been cautioned twice in this year’s Champions League, meaning one more yellow card would result in a one-match ban.
Alexis Mac Allister, who has already served a one-game ban in the league phase, is on even thinner ice with the risk of an additional suspension. The Argentina international has seen yellow four times in this season’s competitions.
Players are handed a one-match suspension after accumulating three yellow cards that didn’t lead to a sending off, and for every odd-numbered caution thereafter. With yellow cards not wiped until the quarter-finals are over, the quartet have four matches to navigate if they want to dodge a ban
On the other hand, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Luis Diaz, Kostas Tsimikas and Darwin Nunez have each been booked once in the Champions League this season, meaning they would all face a ban if they receive two more bookings before the quarter-finals conclude
While several Liverpool players are treading a disciplinary tightrope, the Reds will be buoyed by the return of both Slot and assistant head coach Sipke Hulshoff to the dugout in Paris.
The duo are currently halfway through a two-match touchline ban in the Premier League, imposed for their conduct towards officials following Liverpool’s contentious 2-2 draw at Everton last month. However, they are free to return to the sidelines for Champions League action.