Arne Slot has confirmed that Conor Bradley will be part of Liverpool’s matchday squad for the matchweek 15 clash against Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday.
The reigning league champions have struggled in recent months, claiming just three wins in their previous nine matches, a situation exacerbated by the absence of their regular right-backs.
Bradley has been sidelined since the November international break, causing him to miss the Reds’ last quartet of fixtures. With Jeremie Frimpong also unavailable due to an October hamstring injury, Liverpool have lacked natural options on the defensive right flank.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones have been deployed there in recent weeks, until Joe Gomez returned to the starting lineup during last weekend’s 2-0 victory over West Ham United.
The 22-year-old resumed training this week, and Slot stated in his pre-match briefing ahead of the trip to Elland Road that Bradley is now available for selection.
He said: ‘Bradley has trained this week, so he will train today and will be in the squad tomorrow.’
Boost
There was a concerning development for another member of the defence, as Slot disclosed that Joe Gomez is managing a knock. The injury was picked up during Sunday’s 2-0 victory at West Ham, yet he played through the discomfort to feature for 65 minutes in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland on Wednesday.
Slot added, ‘Joe Gomez got a knock at West Ham but started. He will train today; yesterday was a recovery day. Let’s see where they are.’
Liverpool head into Saturday’s clash sitting ninth in the table, yet they remain only two points shy of the Champions League spots.
Leeds, meanwhile, climbed out of the relegation zone following a midweek win against Chelsea and currently hold a two-point cushion above 18th-placed West Ham United.
The Reds will travel to West Yorkshire with confidence, having avoided defeat in their last six Premier League away games against Leeds (W4 D2), including a commanding 6-1 victory at Elland Road during their most recent visit in April 2023.
Still, following Leeds’ midweek triumph, the Reds must be alert and careful, particularly as they have lost seven of their last 11 Premier League away fixtures (W4), with only Fulham and Wolves (8 each) recording more defeats since April.
