Whether Ibrahima Konate is fine to play for Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest after ‘widespread panic’ about fitness

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Liverpool face Nottingham Forest on Tuesday in what is a mut-win game in the Premier League.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men remain the only team to have beaten the Reds in the league this season, and a repeat would really set the cat amongst the pigeons.

Forest have been surprise high-flyers in the Premier League this term, currently sitting in third place, six points behind Liverpool.

If they can replicate their shock result from Anfield in September, they would really start to put Liverpool’s title aspirations under pressure.

On the flip side of that, a win for the away team would further underline their credentials as potential champions. In order to do that, Liverpool are surely going to be at their strongest.

There was worry in that regard on Saturday after claims that Ibrahima Konate was removed from the team to play Accrington Stanley just before kick-off. With only three days in-between the trip to Forest, journalist David Lynch has cleared up if Konate will be fit to play.

Ibrahima Konate available for Nottingham Forest

It had been a surprise to hear that Konate was set to be named on the teamsheet against League Two Accrington on Saturday.

The Frenchman is just coming back from around six weeks out injured and it seemed unnecessary to risk him in the FA Cup.

By the sounds of it, though, Konate initially appearing in the starting XI sounds to have been something of a clerical error.

According to Lynch, the 25-year-old is fit and available for the return to Premier League action.

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“There was widespread panic about Ibrahima Konate’s fitness after he was in a leaked team to face Accrington Stanley and then he wasn’t and everyone took that to mean he was injured or ill,” the reporter told Anfield Index.

“But absolutely no mention of him [during Arne Slot’s press conference], only Nunez who is suspended and Joe Gomez who will miss the game. Konate by all accounts is fit and available. So, not sure what all that concern was about.”

Who else will start for Liverpool?

Given the continued absence of Gomez, Liverpool really will need Konate on Tuesday.

Forest have Chris Wood in top form just now and the burly centre-forward will be a handful for he and Virgil van Dijk.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	19	14	4	1	47	19	28	46
2	ArsenalArsenal	20	11	7	2	39	18	21	40
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	20	12	4	4	29	19	10	40
4	ChelseaChelsea	20	10	6	4	39	24	15	36

Aside from that pairing, Slot has his full, best XI available at the City Ground.

That should mean Alisson Becker starting in goal, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson joining Konate and Van Dijk in the defence.

The midfield is likely to be Slot’s first-choice trio, with Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch. And after all three were rested on Saturday, the attack is set to feature Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo.