'Be surprised' - Liverpool handed major fitness concern for Arsenal clash amid Champions League doubt
Arsenal welcome Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium this weekend
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota is a major doubt for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal after being forced off during last weekend’s 2-1 win over Chelsea at Anfield.
The Portugal international was hauled down by Tosin Adarabioyo early in the first half and received treatment before carrying on. However, he was still feeling the effects of the knock and was withdrawn after 30 minutes and replaced by Darwin Nunez. The Reds travel to RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday night and manager Arne Slot has said it is highly unlikely the forward will be involved in Germany, an admission that puts his involvment against the Gunners a few days later in doubt. Slot said: “Diogo had to be substituted and I am not sure what it is, but I’d be surprised if he is there on Wednesday.”
Conor Bradley was absent against Chelsea despite playing for Northern Ireland twice over the international break while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alexis Mac Allister were doubts in the lead up to last weekend’s contest but both featured against the Blues. It is unclear how long Bradley will be out for and if he will be fit to face Arsenal next weekend.
Slot added: “I have a lot of confidence in this team, but you also saw today - after the international break - that we have some problems. Conor Bradley is not in; Trent [Alexander-Arnold], you probably don’t know, was also not training in the first days after he came back, so he was a bit of a doubt before we started the game. [And] then we had Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] being sick.”
A further update on Arsenal’s opponents this Sunday is expected on Tuesday night, when Slot holds his pre-match press conference in Germany ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash with RB Leipzig. Jota has an impressive record against the Gunners, with eight goals and two assists in 15 games against them. Although he has not scored in his last three appearances versus Mikel Arteta’s side.
Arsenal also have injury concerns to deal with ahead of the game, with Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber both doubts for their Champions League contest against Shakhtar Donetsk after they missed training on Monday afternoon. Martin Odegaard, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney all remain out and are unlikely to return in time to face Liverpool while centre-back William Saliba is banned. Asked if he might be inclined to appeal the red card which Saliba received against Bournemouth, Arteta said: “I leave that more to the club to understand the circumstances. They will have to decide it.”
He added: "Playing with 10 men, always there is an issue. The truth is, when you analyse it, three very different actions and the outcome of them, the reasons are very different. Regardless of that we cannot continue to play with 10 men, especially at this level. We need to eradicate that, it's clear. The reasons and how - it doesn't matter. We have to focus and it has to happen."