Liverpool could be without the defenders Ibrahima Konaté and Conor Bradley when Manchester City visit on Sunday, with Arne Slot admitting the early signs on the injuries they sustained against Real Madrid are not good.
Bradley was forced off in the 87th minute of Wednesday’s Champions League victory by a hamstring injury and Konaté limped away after the final whistle with a knee problem. Both continued to be assessed at Liverpool’s AXA training complex on Thursday, with Bradley having a scan on an injury that could sideline him for several weeks.
Liverpool’s first-choice right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold, will be fit to start against the faltering Premier League champions, however, having recovered from his own hamstring problem.
Slot said: “They are still being assessed, so it is difficult to see where they are in terms of the injury. Let’s wait and see, but it is never a good sign that I had to take Conor off and Ibou didn’t walk off the pitch as he should after such a fantastic game. He should have made a round [of the pitch] and clapped the fans but he could not.”
Bradley was outstanding against the European champions, nullifying Kylian Mbappé and helping to create Alexis Mac Allister’s opening goal. Konaté would be a big loss against City, having formed a formidable centre-back pairing with Virgil van Dijk this season.
Liverpool would go 11 points clear of City with victory on Sunday but, despite Pep Guardiola’s side enduring a six-match winless streak and losing five of those six, Slot is wary of the threat he insisted they continue to pose.
“In the last eight or nine years I don’t think the word easy ever comes to mind with City, home or away,” the head coach said. “I know everyone is looking at their results but if you analyse it, against Brighton they were 1-0 up and could have scored two or three but got beaten. Against Tottenham after 20 minutes they could have been two or three up, and against Feyenoord they were 3-0 up and dominating.
“They are still a very, very good team and one of the reasons I think Pep is the best manager in the world is that he always comes up with solutions.
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“His problem now might be Rodri is out but we all know he will come up with a solution and City’s form will go up again. Hopefully after Sunday.”
