Liverpool head to the Emirates on Thursday to take on Arsenal in the Carabao Cup in the semi-final and the Reds will be without some key players for this particular encounter.
Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Naby Keita are already missing due to their participation in the Africa Cup of Nations and now Liverpool’s assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders has revealed that Thiago and Divock Origi are also ruled out from the 2nd leg.
Thiago is out with a groin injury and will only return after the international break while Origi is looking to make a comeback when Liverpool play in the FA Cup.
The assistant manager told the press: “Thiago, hopefully he will be in full team training after the international break to prepare for the Cardiff game. Divock will not be ready until after Cardiff.”
In the absence of Salah and Mane, Oxlade-Chamberlain was playing as a winger but he too is out injured after picking up an ankle injury.
Lijnders told Liverpoolfc.com: “If we speak about Ox we have to discuss his performance as well. He was outstanding.
“He gives so much to the team because of the variety he can play with because he can play on the eight, he can play on the nine, he can play on the wing and he plays all these positions with a lot of quality. He is in a really good moment so it’s a shame that he falls away.
“I spoke yesterday with him and he thinks it’s not that bad. We have to assess it day by day. I would not rule out the weekend but for sure not tomorrow.”
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Will the Liverpool boss have selection issues on Thursday?
Liverpool have seen Fabinho return to full fitness so the midfield situation is not as bad as it seems. But setting up the forward line is going to be a bit of a headache for the manager.
With Thiago and Naby Keita missing, Curtis Jones and Jordan Henderson will play alongside Fabinho but in terms of bench strength, Jurgen Klopp has little to no options.
Now that Oxlade-Chamberlain has also been ruled out, Minamino will play on the left wing while Diogo Jota will move to the right-hand side. And since Origi is out, Roberto Firmino is a guaranteed starter up front.
Harvey Elliot has returned to training after picking up an ankle injury in September but Liverpool will take time to phase him back into the starting lineup.
