Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has provided an update on Dominik Szoboszlai ahead of the club’s Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
A bright spot in a difficult campaign for the reigning champions, Szoboszlai had completed every minute of league action this season before picking up a knock late on during last Saturday’s 2–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.
The Hungarian midfielder was eventually taken off, with Federico Chiesa coming on for the final seven minutes of regulation time, along with the eight added minutes.
In a boost to the Premier League champions, who are chasing their first consecutive Premier League wins since September, Szoboszlai has returned to full training and is expected to be involved as long as he is deemed fully fit.
Speaking in his pre-Tottenham press conference at the AXA Training Centre on Friday, Slot said,
‘Dominik [Szoboszlai] trained yesterday for the first time. We’ll see where he’s at today.
‘That completely depends on how well he does today, and then we speak to the player and the medical staff.
‘If the player feels comfortable and does all the things he needs to do, then he will start.
‘Dom would be a starter tomorrow if he’s completely fit.’
Boost
Liverpool will also have to cope without Joe Gomez and Cody Gakpo, although there is optimism that the latter could return to contention in the near future.
Slot added: ‘He [Cody Gakpo] had a scan that looked promising, so we’re not that worried anymore. He might come back earlier than expected, but definitely not tomorrow.
‘Joe [Gomez] is not in the squad as well.’
Liverpool will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions when they travel to North London to face Tottenham on Saturday.
The Reds began the Premier League season by winning their first five matches, but have managed only three victories in their most recent 11 games. They are now just the second side in league history to win their first five fixtures yet fail to record 10 wins before Christmas, following Chelsea in 2010–11.
Nevertheless, there’s growing optimism ahead of the trip to Tottenham, as the Merseyside club have suffered only two defeats in their last 25 Premier League meetings with Spurs.
