Liverpool have a new injury concern in summer splash signing Florian Wirtz. The German forward was a last minute withdrawal, ahead of the win at Nottingham Forest, with a lower back injury. However, it is hopeful that he’ll be back for the Saturday visit from West Ham United.
“We don’t think it is very serious,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said of Florian Wirtz. “But he felt his back too much during the warm-up. He wasn’t able to be 100 percent or even close.”
West Ham United at Liverpool FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sat Feb 28, Anfield, 3pm local, Liverpool, UK
Team News Articles: Liverpool West Ham United
Result Probability: West Ham 14% Draw 18% Liverpool FC 68%
Premier League Standing, Form: West Ham 18th, 25 pts WLWDD Liverpool FC 6th 45 pts, LWLWW
Team News for Both Sides
Slot went on to elaborate further about Florian Wirtz, making a point of saying that this was all just precautionary.
“I think after being in this league for 6,7 or 8 months, he now understands no matter how good you are on the ball, you need to be 100 percent at this level,” Slot continued. “So, we decided not to play him. We hope and expect he will be able to be with us again next week but you never know how things work out.”
Moving on to Jeremie Frimpong, he could return from the thigh injury that has kept him sidelined for some time. He’s a 50/50 proposition for this match.
Otherwise the Liverpool injury situation remains the same. You still have Alexander Isak, Wataru Endo, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni 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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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.