Liverpool host Arsenal in the Carabao Cup tonight and the team news doesn’t make for good reading. Both teams suffer from first-team absences heading into the game.
Finally, Liverpool and Arsenal will play out their Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg tonight. It was supposed to take place a week ago, of course, only for the Reds to force a postponement.
Not that absences entirely cleared up since. Both Liverpool and Arsenal have team news that shows several absences each – so let’s take a look at them all.
Liverpool team news
The Africa Cup of Nations takes three players out of this one – Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita are all at the tournament. But injuries, too, are an issue.
Liverpool will be without Thiago, for one. The ‘world-class’ midfielder was absolutely sensational against Arsenal the last time these two teams met. He carries an injury, however, and won’t play for a little while.
Divock Origi, too, won’t be available through injury. That leaves Liverpool even shorter up top than they already were and navigating that is Jurgen Klopp’s big task here.
Harvey Elliott, of course, still isn’t back but will hopefully return over the next month.
Arsenal team news
Arsenal actually have one more absence than Liverpool thanks to AFCON. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny and Nicolas Pepe are all there, ruling them out for this.
As for injuries, the Gunners will likely be without three more first-team players. Goal reports that Emile Smith-Rowe, Martin Odegaard and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all major doubts.
Things are pretty even when it comes to absences, then. In fact, there’s a solid argument that Arsenal are even worse off than Liverpool.
That’s an advantage, we’d have to say, and perhaps balances out that Liverpool lost home advantage with the postponement. Whoever manages their squad best will surely win this tie, however.
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