Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo could be in line for a rare start in Wednesday night’s Champions League fixture against Qarabag, judging by two notable absences from today’s training session.
Having already lost Giovanni Leoni to a season-ending injury, Arne Slot’s centre-back options were further depleted over the past week by the absence of Ibrahima Konate on compassionate leave following the death of his father.
Then, during the first half of the 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday, Joe Gomez was injured in a collision with Alisson Becker and had to be substituted, prompting the head coach to turn to the Japan international as an emergency defender due to a lack of natural alternatives on the bench.
Gomez and Konate absent from Liverpool training
On Tuesday lunchtime, Paul Joyce provided an update from Liverpool training as the squad were put through their paces in Kirkby in preparation for the Qarabag game.
The Times journalist reported (via X) that both Gomez and Konate were absent from the session at the AXA Training Centre, with the former missing out due to a hip problem and the latter not yet returning from compassionate leave.
Endo could be in line for rare Liverpool start v Qarabag
Firstly, and most importantly, our thoughts and prayers remain with Ibou during this extremely sad time for him and his family, and we’ll be delighted to see him return whenever he’s ready to get back to footballing matters.
Should he and Gomez not be included in the matchday squad to face Qarabag, it seems likely that Endo could be drafted in as a makeshift centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk, particularly with academy defender Wellity Lucky struck down by a hamstring injury just days before the fixture.
The 32-year-old has been a peripheral figure in the Liverpool squad this season, being handed just 297 minutes in all competitions, the bulk of which came in much-changed line-ups in the Carabao Cup, and he’s yet to feature in the current Champions League campaign (Transfermarkt).
While it’s far from ideal to be pigeon-holing a midfielder into a centre-back partneship, Slot needs to find a delicate balance between tomorrow night’s match and the Premier League clash against Newcastle three days later.
The Reds still need a win over Qarabag to ensure direct entry to the round of 16, and anything less than victory would be a disappointment, but dropped points tomorrow wouldn’t be as detrimental to our European campaign as they would to our top-flight endeavours if we fail to beat the Magpies on Saturday.
In that context, the head coach may exercise caution over Gomez – especially if he missed training today – and prioritise his full fitness for the Newcastle game at the weekend over gambling on him on Wednesday night.
