Liverpool have confirmed that midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai will miss Sunday’s FA Cup clash against Arsenal and the first leg of their League Cup semi-final against Fulham after the Hungary international suffered a hamstring injury. Szoboszlai, who has made 26 appearances for the Reds since his summer move from RB Leipzig, was substituted after 64 minutes in their 4-2 Premier League win over Newcastle United on Monday night, with the Reds moving three points clear at the top of the table with the victory.
The 23-year-old appeared to be in some discomfort as he held the back of his leg and hobbled off the Anfield turf. The former RB Leipzig star had been in the thick of the action at Anfield, with his side having to fight back from being a goal down early on to secure victory thanks to a Mohamed Salah brace and goals from Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo. Szoboszlai’s substitution was a pre-planned change by Klopp, who admitted afterward that the Hungarian needed a break and would have been taken off anyway.
Klopp is still awaiting the results of a scan on Szoboszlai, who will be assessed over the next few days. The German will hope the injury is not as severe as initially feared, with the former RB Leipzig star a crucial player for Klopp’s team this season. He is the second most used player at Anfield, behind Mohamed Salah, and only Alisson Becker has played more games for Liverpool this season.
Despite the loss of Szoboszlai, Klopp does have other options in his squad to choose from in the center of the park. Jota could be given his first start since returning from injury, and he will be joined in the Liverpool midfield by Alexis Mac Allister, who came on as a substitute against Newcastle.
However, the loss of Szoboszlai does leave Klopp without a recognized playmaker, and the Reds boss may have to change his preferred shape to compensate. That is especially true as he will be without Salah and Wataru Endo for the remainder of the month, with the return date for the two dependent on AFCON and Asia Cup success. That means several players in good form for Liverpool must step up their game. That includes players like Kostas Tsimikas, Joel Matip, and Ben Doak. But Klopp will be hopeful that Stefan Bajcetic, who has returned to training after a knee problem, will also feature against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.