Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita is set to miss the club’s second home UEFA Champions League game of the season against Atletico Madrid after failing to play the full 90 minutes against Brighton and Hove Albion at the weekend.
The Liverpool No.8 had to be withdrawn during the first half of Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion due to a hamstring injury, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming on in his place.
The substitution took place just 19 minutes into the game and the Guinean’s latest injury follows Paul Pogba’s woeful tackle on the midfielder in the 5-0 win over Manchester United the Sunday previous.
Keita will undergo a scan on the issue to determine its severity, but Klopp does not anticipate the midfielder can be involved versus Atletico.
“He told me, he showed me [the] hamstring,” Klopp said to Liverpoolfc.com post-match. “So, I don’t know, we will see; obviously tomorrow [or] the day after tomorrow he will have a scan and then we will know.
“But if somebody feels the hamstring, it would be the first time that he is ready for the next game. So, I can’t see that.”
Keita has already missed 54 games for Liverpool due to injury in his time with the club, amassing 14 injuries over three years in red, with this hamstring injury set to add to that.
The large number of injuries does not include the knock that he recovered from in time to face Brighton.
Liverpool currently have three fit midfielders in their squad – Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones and Oxlade-Chamberlain.
19-year-old Tyler Morton, who celebrated his birthday on Halloween, is also available for selection, having been named on the bench for Saturday’s game.
It remains to be seen whether Thiago Alcantara or Fabinho will be deemed fit for the match against the Spanish champions.
Thiago Alcantara joined in on Thursday’s session as he continued his recovery from a calf injury but was not named in the matchday squad at the weekend.
Fabinho’s knee issue kept him out of the clash with Graham Potter’s Seagulls – it is the third game in a row that Liverpool did not have him at their disposal.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds face Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday, November 3 at 8 pm.
