Three days on from being crowned 2023-24 EFL Cup champions, Liverpool resume their quest for another slice of domestic glory, hosting Southampton in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday.
Jurgen Klopp's mixture of youth and experience prevailed over a meek Chelsea unit in Sunday's gripping EFL Cup showpiece, where captain Virgil van Dijk nodded in the only goal of the contest in extra time.
A quarter of the way to completing a much-desired quadruple, the Reds return to a vibrant Anfield atmosphere having already got the better of Arsenal and Norwich City in this year's FA Cup, demolishing the Canaries 5-2 last month.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up Liverpool's latest injury and suspension news ahead of their showdown with the Saints, whose fourth-round affair with Watford ended in a 3-0 replay success following a 1-1 draw.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Ankle
Possible return date: Unknown
During the first half of Sunday's EFL Cup showpiece, Ryan Gravenberch was the victim of a crunching tackle from Moises Caicedo and left the Wembley pitch on a stretcher. Klopp confirmed that the Dutchman had not sustained any broken bones, but owing to damaged ligaments, he could now be set for a spell on the sidelines.
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Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Unspecified
Possible return date: February 28 (vs. Southampton)
In addition to Gravenberch, Wataru Endo - who played the full 120 minutes against the Blues - left the stadium on crutches on Sunday with an as yet unspecified issue, and it would be a surprise to see him involved in the fifth-round tie.
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Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Thigh
Possible return date: February 28 (vs. Southampton)
Mohamed Salah's fresh thigh concern ultimately did not clear up in time for the Egyptian to be involved in Sunday's EFL Cup final, and the tight turnaround means that the ex-Chelsea man remains doubtful for the visit of the Saints.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
Pep Lijnders offered new information on Diogo Jota's knee injury prior to the weekend, revealing that the Portuguese attacker had damaged his medial ligament, and he is not expected to be back in action until some point in April.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Shin
Possible return date: March 10 (vs. Manchester City)
The shin injury that Curtis Jones suffered against Brentford two weekends ago will keep him out of this game, but there is optimism that he will be out of the treatment room prior to the next international break.
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Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Unspecified
Possible return date: February 28 (vs. Southampton)
As is the case with Salah, Darwin Nunez failed a late fitness test for the EFL Cup final and remains uncertain for the midweek tie, but he was seen charging about during the celebrations at Wembley, offering hope that a return is imminent.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Hamstring
Possible return date: March 31 (vs. Brighton & Hove Albion)
Alisson Becker still faces another few weeks on the treatment table with his hamstring injury, which Lijnders has confirmed will keep him out until Liverpool return from March's international hiatus.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: March 31 (vs. Brighton & Hove Albion)
Trent Alexander-Arnold is in exactly the same boat as Alisson, as the knee injury he sustained against Burnley on February 10 is unlikely to fully heal until the end of March.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Muscle
Possible return date: Unknown
After a 10-month spell out of action with a hip injury, Thiago Alcantara damaged a muscle on his comeback appearance versus Arsenal earlier this month and is once again confined to the treatment room for an unspecified length of time.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
Ben Doak was in good spirits during Liverpool's EFL Cup jubilation, but the Scottish attacker is still recovering from a severe knee injury, and there is no timeframe on his potential return to action.
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Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Hamstring
Possible return date: February 28 (vs. Southampton)
Dominik Szoboszlai's hamstring concern did not allow the midfielder to don his Reds jersey for the EFL Cup final, and while he is not expected to spend too much longer on the sidelines, his chances of a midweek return remain slim.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
Joel Matip sustained a devastating ACL injury versus Fulham in December, and the Cameroonian may have played his final match for Liverpool if no new deal is placed on the table.
© Reuters
Status: Out
Type of injury: Calf
Possible return date: Unknown
Klopp said in January that Stefan Bajcetic would have hopefully resumed some form of training in February following a calf injury, but he has not been seen with his teammates just yet and ostensibly requires more time to get back up to speed.
LIVERPOOL'S SUSPENSION LIST
Liverpool have no players suspended for this match.
Ben Knapton
