When it rains it pours in regard to injuries at Anfield. Liverpool, who won both cup competitions last season and contended for the league title, were expected to do big things this season, but a rash of major injuries have prevented the Reds from doing so.
Chalk another one up on the list, as center back Virgil van Dijk, one of their best and most important players, is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, due to a hamstring injury.
Liverpool vs Wolves FA Cup 3rd Round FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Jan 7, 5:30pm, Anfield
Liverpool Team News: go here
Liverpool Starting XI Prediction: go here
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Stat Pack: Liverpool have been bounced from this competition, four of the past seven times they have defended their title.
Series Trend: Wolves have lost 11 of their last 13 to Liverpool across all competitions but the other two results were wins, in the FA Cup.
It was initially thought that the injury he suffered against Brentford in mid-week was not serious. However, the scan revealed some significant damage.
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp told reporters: “Virg was a surprise for us, obviously, a big blow. He didn’t feel a lot. I took him off, actually, no risk.
“In the end, the diagnosis was pretty harsh, but we talk about weeks – more than a month. I hope it goes quick, but for now he is not available. That’s how it is. We have other centre-halves, as long as that’s the case everything is OK for the team.
“But for Virg, it’s harsh. He played an incredible amount of games over the last years. [Now] we cannot use him on the pitch at least. Off the pitch, we will do that.”
He’ll be out until at least mid-February.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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.”
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