With less than two months to go until Liverpool’s World Cup season is halted, there are only seven members of Jurgen Klopp’s squad likely to make the trip to Qatar as things stand.
On Monday, news of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s omission from the England squad to face Germany led to much talk about whether the Liverpool right-back will be included in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad for the World Cup.
As of today, he certainly seems to have his work cut out for him, given that he has been left out of the England squad for his final game before the tournament.
If Alexander-Arnold misses out, there may only be seven Liverpool players involved in Qatar.
So as things stand, which players are most likely to feature in the World Cup and how does all this compare to Liverpool’s Premier League rivals?
The 7 Liverpool players who seem likely to leave
Let’s start with the Brazilians. Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino were part of Tite’s squad for his September internationals with Ghana and Tunisia, and will have a good chance of appearing in Qatar.
Firmino is probably the biggest question mark, with the likes of Arsenal’s in-form pair Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus waiting in the wings if Liverpool’s number 9 doesn’t make the cut.
Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk will be involved, with Louis van Gaal’s side in fine form heading into the tournament.
Assuming Alexander-Arnold misses out, Jordan Henderson is likely to be the only Liverpool player in the England squad.
The last two who seem safe to participate in Qatar are the Portuguese Diogo Jota and the Uruguayan Darwin Núñez.
Who could miss?
If Alexander-Arnold is not included in Southgate’s final squad, his absence is sure to be the main omission from the Liverpool squad.
What may work in its favor is the fact that teams can name 26 players in their squads, as opposed to 23 in previous World Cups.
It seems unlikely that Ibrahima Konate will be included in the France squad as he missed the start of the season with injury, while Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have not played for England for some time.
Despite his recent return to fitness, Thiago was not included in the Spain squad for their September internationals, which would suggest he is unlikely to make the trip to Qatar, with the tournament a year or two away. before for Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho.
Arthur last appeared for Brazil in March but was not included in their most recent squad.
Then there are those whose nations have not qualified or who have withdrawn from international service. Caoimhin Kelleher, Joel Matip, Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas, James Milner, Naby Keita, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will be watching from afar.
What about Liverpool’s Premier League rivals?
Could the fact that Liverpool have only a handful of players who will take part in the World Cup be a positive thing? Possibly.
Man City, for example, will likely have around 16 players in Qatar, including Ederson, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden. All the key players.
It’s a similar story for Chelsea, who could have as many as 14 or 15 players in the World Cup. Edouard Mendy, Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly, Reece James, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling will be among them.
Current league leaders Arsenal find themselves in a more similar situation to Liverpool. Aaron Ramsdale, William Saliba, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus could be involved.
Antonio Conte’s Tottenham could have around 10 of their team playing in Qatar, and Man United up to 12.
Compared to their rivals, Liverpool can come out on top and that could have a big knock-on effect for the rest of the season.
