The 2023-24 Liverpool FC squad is so injured…how injured are they? Ok, we don’t actually have a punchline to complement that set-up, but we will say that the current injury list for the upcoming UEFA Europa League clash is so long we had to split it up into two articles. In this first edition, we’ll cover Mo Salah, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The second edition is live already, and linked here. The trip to Prague will be here before you know it, so let’s just get after it, shall we?
Liverpool FC at Sparta Praha FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs. Mar. 7, 5:45pm, epet ARENA, Prague, Czech Republic
Competition: UEFA Europa League Round of 16 Leg 1/2
Liverpool Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Team News Part 1 Team News Part 2
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Fun Fact: Sparta Praha have only won one of their last 16 (D4L11) against English sides in Europe
Reds Team News
Salah came back from the hamstring injury he suffered at AFCON, only to re-aggravate it, and he’s now missed the last four matches. However, manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed the that the Egyptian will return to action at some point this week.
“I don’t think Mo is too far off, but he will not feature [at Forest],” Klopp said on Friday, in regards to Salah.
“From there, we have to go. Touch and go, unfortunately that stays the case with Mo for a little bit longer.
“But I think next week, at any point, it is possible. So he is on the way back, definitely, but not there yet.”
Salah is obviously the headliner, but turning to TAA, who has been out since injuring his knee a month ago, he won’t be returning this week, or next. The next chance for him to realistically fixture is after the next international break.
Speaking of the March international break, it is around that time that we could feasibly see midfielder Curtis Jones (ankle injury) back in action.
The right hand man to Klopp, Assistant Coach Pep Lijnders, said the following in advance of the League Cup final win over Chelsea: “Curtis is probably the first one [to come back] around the international break. All the others will be after the international break.”
Meanwhile Thiago, who is never fit enough to play, ever, is out indefinitely. It is doubtful he’ll ever play for Liverpool again.
Finally, Joel Matip (ACL) is out for the season.
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 Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.