The selection of Jurgen Klopp’s squad for the game with Nottingham Forest came with two surprising omissions, as Thiago Alcántara and Darwin Núñez were not part of the starting eleven or the match squad.
Our manager told BT Sport (via Liverpool Match Centre) ahead of the Premier League match at the City Ground: “No (not a precaution), I wish I could do that.
“For Darwin, the game comes too soon, he still feels the intensity of the game muscularly, so there was no chance he could play today. Maybe he could play tomorrow or Monday, but not today.
READ MORE: Nottingham Forest will host Liverpool with up to four players absent
“And Thiago had a serious ear infection during the night. The decision was made this morning at 5:15. That’s the way it is sometimes and that’s the reason for that.”
It’s certainly not ideal for a team selection to be changed at 5am on the day of a match and for the player missing to be as influential as our number 6 is, let’s hope it’s not too disruptive for the players involved.
The Spaniard has been in good form, but so has our number 27, showing against West Ham that he’s playing with a lot of confidence at the moment, so now it’s a big loss for him too.
We are left with two fit strikers in Mo Salah and Bobby Firmino and all our supporters will be praying that the pair can make it through the 90 minutes without injury.
It looks like the physical issues are piling up again and while the two-player absence isn’t too serious, it looks like the World Cup can’t come soon enough at the moment.
#Ep63 of the Podcast The Empire of the Kop: Klopp’s ridiculous accusations of xenophobia, Núñez shining… and more!
