Liverpool handed quadruple injury boost before Man City showdown as key stars return

Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez all trained at Kirkby on Thursday
George Flood23 November 2023

Liverpool look to have been handed significant multiple injury boosts ahead of their crunch clash with Manchester City this weekend.

Jurgen Klopp's Reds make the trip to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, looking to make an emphatic early title statement as they battle the defending Premier League champions in a highly-anticipated meeting of first versus second in the table.

And Liverpool's bid to rise to the top-flight summit appears to have been helped by the return of several players to training in advance of facing City.

The Reds confirmed via their official website on Thursday that all of Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez were involved in the latest session at their AXA Training Centre in Kirkby.

Konate was a surprise absentee from the Liverpool squad that beat Brentford 3-0 before the international break to continue their formidable home form at fortress Anfield, subsequently pulling out of the France squad for a final pair of Euro 2024 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Greece.

However, Les Bleus and boss Didier Deschamps described his hamstring issue as minor and it appears that Konate is on track to return against City as he bids to take back Joel Matip's place alongside captain Virgil van Dijk in the heart of defence.

Versatile defender Gomez also missed the Brentford win with an unspecified knock, while in-form summer signing Gravenberch has sat out Liverpool's last two matches - against Toulouse and Brentford - with a small knee problem.

Ryan Gravenberch had been in excellent form for Liverpool before a minor knee issue
Getty Images

Midfield colleague Jones has been out with his own hamstring injury since the Carabao Cup win at Bournemouth at the start of the November, but now looks to be in contention to face City along with Konate, Gravenberch and Gomez.

Liverpool got an initial boost on Wednesday when it was revealed that Kostas Tsimikas' early return from international duty with Greece and his shock omission from their meeting with France was not injury-related.

Klopp will still be without Andy Robertson against City after shoulder surgery, with Tsimikas expected to deputise once again at left-back after his two assists against Brentford.

Along with that aforementioned fit-again quartet, Liverpool's South American internationals - Alisson Becker, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Alexis Mac Allister - were also all involved in training on Thursday.

City have plenty of injury worries to contend with ahead of Liverpool's visit this weekend, with striking talisman Erling Haaland battling to be fit after an ankle injury.

Ederson, Mateo Kovacic, Nathan Ake, Matheus Nunes and Sergio Gomez have also dealt with injuries of late, while key performers Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones are still unavailable.

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