Liverpool stars Thiago Alcantara, Joel Matip and Naby Keita are set to miss tonight’s Champions League fixture at home to Denmark’s Midtjylland, according to the Liverpool Echo.
All three players failed to feature in the Reds’ 1-0 win at Ajax last Wednesday. They are likely to miss out again.
Liverpool return to Anfield in the Champions League for the first time since they were beaten by Atletico Madrid last year.
Awaiting European debut for Reds
Thiago picked up an injury in the Merseyside derby draw following a tackle by Richarlison, for which the Brazilian received a red card.
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The injury means Thiago will be denied a first appearance in Europe for Liverpool.
The midfielder won the Champions League with Bayern Munich last season against PSG.
Matip out again
With only nine Premier League appearances last season because of a knee injury, Matip is on the sidelines again.
Although the Cameroon defender completed 90 minutes against Everton, he went to hospital afterwards for a scan on his troublesome knee.
The news was even more of a blow to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. Virgil van Dijk has been ruled out for the majority of the season with a cruciate ligament injury.
It is likely Fabinho will have to deputise at centre-back alongside Joe Gomez as he did against Ajax.
Recurring problem for Keita
Since Liverpool were beaten 7-2 by Aston Villa, Keita hasn’t been involved in the matchday squad.
Since arriving from RB Leipzig in 2018, the 25-year-old midfielder has had a number of injuries that have prevented him from regular game time.
Who are Midtjylland?
The Danish side are in the competition for the first time after progressing through three qualifying rounds.
Midtjylland were only founded in 1999 after a merger between Herning Fremad and Ikast FS.
The club plays at the 12,000-seat MCH Arena. Things changed for the club in 2014 when Matthew Benham, who also owns English club Brentford, became majority shareholder.
Benham has the nickname ‘Moneyball’ from his use of statistics to choose managers and players. It certainly worked for Midtjylland, who won their first Danish Superliga title a year later.
Coach and former Portsmouth player Brian Priske led Midtjylland to a third Superliga title in 2020. The club finished 14 points above Copenhagen.
The Danish side lost 4-0 to Atalanta in their first group game. Anything other than a Liverpool win tonight would be a huge shock.
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