Liverpool were handed mixed injury news ahead of their Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt
Liverpool trained at the AXA Training Centre on Tuesday afternoon before flying to Germany for Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt a fixture that already feels significant for Arne Slot and his squad.
The Reds, who have lost four consecutive matches across all competitions, head into the third round of the league phase in need of a result to steady a season that has veered worryingly off course.
Both teams sit level in the league table with one win and one defeat apiece, and the stakes are growing by the week for a Liverpool side still struggling to find cohesion at both ends of the pitch.
While there were encouraging sights at the club’s Kirkby base, including the return of Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister to full training, Slot was dealt a significant blow with confirmation that Ryan Gravenberch will not feature in Frankfurt.
The Dutch midfielder, who has established himself as a reliable option at the base of midfield, twisted his ankle during Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United. He tried to continue but was withdrawn shortly after the hour mark, and subsequent assessments have ruled him out of the trip to Germany.
Slot initially remained coy post-match, admitting:
“I took him off because he twisted his ankle. Is he an injury concern? That’s what we have to wait and see but we have to play again on Wednesday.”
Those hopes have now faded, Liverpool will take a cautious approach given the congested fixture list that lies ahead.
He joins Alisson Becker and Giovanni Leoni on the sidelines. Alisson, sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained in the defeat to Galatasaray earlier this month, was once again absent from team training but could be seen working individually through the glass windows of the AXA Training Centre gym.
His rehabilitation is progressing, and while Slot has ruled him out of this week’s fixtures, there’s cautious optimism within the club that his return will not be far away.
In contrast, Wataru Endo’s involvement offered an important lift. The Japan captain trained fully for the first time since suffering a hamstring strain at Stamford Bridge before the international break. His manager with the national team, Hajime Moriyasu, admitted that he considered recalling the midfielder for October’s fixtures before deciding against it to allow him to recover completely.
Endo’s return could not be more timely. With Gravenberch out, he represents the most natural replacement in defensive midfield, and his experience particularly from his time in the Bundesliga with Stuttgart will be invaluable in what is expected to be a hostile Deutsche Bank Park atmosphere.
Mac Allister also trained without apparent discomfort, despite the four stitches he required after a head wound sustained against Manchester United. The Argentine’s availability ensures Slot still has options in midfield, where Curtis Jones is also pushing for minutes after being restricted to substitute appearances in recent games.
The session itself was lively and well-attended, with 22 players taking part. The group emerged in small numbers for a brisk warm-up before progressing to a series of keep-ball drills under the watchful eye of Slot and his coaching team.
Yet, behind the smiles and focus lies an inescapable truth: Liverpool’s defensive record is becoming a serious concern. They have conceded 17 goals in 12 matches across all competitions, and while opponents Frankfurt have been even more porous of late shipping 18 in their last five games those numbers do little to ease the scrutiny surrounding Slot’s system.
Slot, who prides himself on tactical discipline and aggressive pressing, will be acutely aware that the current balance between attack and defence is far from ideal.
Wednesday’s game in Frankfurt represents more than just another tie. It’s a test of character, structure and mentality an opportunity to reset the tone of the season before the pressure deepens further.
Jurgen Klopp, for all his difficult moments at Liverpool, never lost four matches in a row during his nine-year tenure. Slot has already reached that mark, and he’ll know as well as anyone that this is not a statistic any manager wants attached to his name so early in his reign.
The Liverpool head coach will face the media at 6:30pm on Tuesday evening, alongside Dominik Szoboszlai where he is expected to provide further updates on the fitness of his squad and outline how his side can arrest their alarming slide in form.
