Yesterday’s result at Anfield could not have gone any worse for the home side. In the wake of Manchester City’s guilty verdict, on the charges of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules, Merseyside was buzzing. Yes, it was buzzing with anger and vitriol, but in the end, the home side was utterly demolished, and the supporters made despondent. The 3-0 defeat also brought two new availability concerns, in Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch.
UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 of 8
Kickoff: Wed. Oct 14, 5:45pm
Venue: Raiffeisen Arena, Linz, Austria
Liverpool Preview Material: Team News Predicted Starting XI
UCL Standing, Form: Liverpool 13th, 3 pts W LASK Linz 27th, 0 pts, L
Result Probability, According to Google: Liverpool win 76% Draw 14% LASK Linz win 10%
Liverpool Team News
Szoboszlai missed out on yesterday’s rout, due to hamstring injury that he suffered while on international duty.
He thought he could play through the pain, but alas, he could not.
“Another one coming from the international games,” Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola said of Dom’s absence.
“He came with an overload; he felt a tight hamstring. He’s tried somehow, kind of pushing through training, but he was not feeling 100 percent and we will have to wait for Dom, yes.”
So that we covered the former, let’s talk about the latter. When Gravenberch was hit with his second yellow yesterday, the match was totally turned on its head. In postgame, Iraola spoke up about how much he disagreed with the officiating, and he did not agree with the referee’s decision on Sunday.
Two yellows equals one red, and once Liverpool was down to 10 men, City ran away with it. Gravenberch’s suspension only applies to domestic competition though, so he’ll be eligible to feature at LASK Linz on Wednesday night.
Elewhere Cody Gakpo (ankle) and Alexander Isak (thigh) both missed out on the weekend, due to injuries they suffered while on international duty. They are doubtful, at the very least, to feature in this match.
Most likely, their returns will come next weekend. And then finally, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley remain sidelined as longer-term injury absentees.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.