Liverpool handed blow as forward set to miss Brighton game after missing training: Reports
Liverpool have been handed an injury blow ahead of their upcoming match against Brighton & Hove Albion on January 14, as striker Darwin Nunez could be absent.
According to the Liverpool Echo, the forward has been missing from training for the majority of the week. He also wasn't pictured in training on Thursday, ahead of their weekend outing.
Despite the fact that the injury is thought to be minor, it puts into question his availability for the upcoming Premier League clash.
The Uruguayan has been a divisive figure since his move to England, despite putting up impressive numbers. He recently scored his tenth goal of the season during Liverpool's 2-2 draw against Wolves in the FA Cup.
liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football…Darwin Nunez hands Liverpool injury scare as reason for training absence confirmed
From @TheoSquiresECHO 😬 liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football…
To fill the void left by Nunez’s absence, January signing Cody Gakpo could be set for his Premier League debut.
Nunez is the latest addition to a long injury list for the Reds; forwards Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, and Roberto Firmino are yet to return to training. As a result, Jurgen Klopp will have depleted attacking options against Brighton on Saturday.
Darwin Nunez will finish the season with _____ goals. 👇 https://t.co/uBrUwcRCB8
The Reds need a win against Brighton to close the gap to the top-four of the league, which currently stands at seven points. Brighton are only one point behind the Reds in the table.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fabio Carvalho, and Harvey Elliott will compete for the third attacking position alongside Mohamed Salah and Gakpo. The situation isn't much better in other areas of the field either, with Virgil van Dijk still sidelined alongside summer loan signing Arthur Melo.
Jurgen Klopp hints at serious issue in Liverpool's play
Following their match against Wolves, the Reds manager identified an issue with how his players handled challenges. Speaking to the press, Klopp stated (via Liverpool Echo):
"In the whole game we didn’t win enough challenges, to be honest. They win a challenge and all of a sudden we are completely open, how is that possible? We have two or three players in a challenge, moving toward the ball."
"When you are there, you have to win the ball, if you don’t do that and they get out, it looks like ‘eh, where are they?’"
His assessment was accurate, as they only won 35 out of 81 duels on Saturday night - a win rate of 43.2%.