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Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is hoping to be passed fit for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Hungary international was forced off with an ankle injury in the closing stages of last weekend’s 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
A scan subsequently allayed fears that he could be facing an extended spell on the sidelines and Szoboszlai, who has been Liverpool’s outstanding performer so far this season, has responded well to treatment in recent days.
Liverpool will continue to monitor him closely before making a final decision on Friday whether he’s involved in the capital. If he is not risked then the expectation is that he will definitely be back for the visit of last-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers to Anfield on December 27.
Szoboszlai had played every minute of every Premier League and Champions League match for Arne Slot’s side this season prior to limping off against Brighton.
The 25-year-old has been walking a disciplinary tightrope in recent weeks as he is one yellow card away from being hit with a one-game ban. He needs to avoid picking up a fifth booking of the season in the next three games before the threshold for a suspension increases to 10 yellows.
Defender Joe Gomez is expected to miss the Tottenham game but the hamstring injury he picked up in the first half against Brighton is not serious. Given his history, Liverpool intend to adopt a cautious approach with their longest-serving player. However, there’s relief that the damage is relatively minor.
Conor Bradley is set to replace Gomez at right-back on Saturday with the Northern Irishman available after serving a one-match ban. With Mohamed Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Liverpool’s right sided options will be boosted by the imminent return of Jeremie Frimpong.
The Netherlands international, who has not featured since damaging his hamstring against Eintracht Frankfurt on October 22, has been doing the final stages of his rehab outside at the club’s Kirkby training base. He has been taking part in some drills with the squad and is close to being given the green light for full team training. Wednesday is a day off for the players but they will reconvene at Kirkby on Thursday to step up preparations for the game against Tottenham.
