Brighton & Hove Albion at Liverpool FC might be the highlight tie of this weekend’s FA Cup, 4th round action. It’s either this game or Newcastle United at Aston Villa. These two matches, at least on paper, look to be much more attractive than the rest. For Liverpool, we have some major injury news to update you on, if you didn’t know already. Wataru Endo had to be stretchered off, during the Reds win over Sunderland in midweek.
Endo landed awkwardly on his ankle, and the injury looks to be a very serious one.
FA Cup 4th Round FYIs
Liverpool FC vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Kickoff: Sat. Feb 14, 8pm
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool, UK
Liverpool Team News, Injury List
“His injury doesn’t look good,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said in a postgame interview with the television broadcast. “I expect him to be out unfortunately for quite a long time again. What a mentality for him as well that things really didn’t look good but he stayed on the pitch and defended one more set piece.”
Slot elaborated further during his post-game news conference, saying: “It’s a serious one. How serious we don’t know yet. He has to be assessed tomorrow. Foot (injury), we don’t know what it is yet, but it will be assessed tomorrow.
“I assume he will be out for a long time. You can hardly believe what has happened in this right-back position.”
Endo might be done for the season, and perhaps even his World Cup might be put into jeopardy. So this is a huge blow, not just for Liverpool, but for Japan as well. Slot is right, the injury crisis that has consumed the right back slot at Anfield this season is ridiculous. Wataru Endo was replaced by Joe Gomez, who really isn’t fully 90 minutes match fit himself, yet.
However, Liverpool just had no other options. There as no linksman to be found.
They have a true defensive crisis in the back line right now. Gomez may play on Saturday, but he still might not be ready to start.
Meanwhile the rest of the Liverpool injury list remains the same: Alexander Isak (leg), Jeremie Frimpong (thigh), Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni (both of which have knee injuries) in the treatment room.
And then finally, midfielder (who has been forced to moonlight as a defender) Dominik Szoboszlai is now back from suspension.
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.