Liverpool resume their Premier League title push on Sunday, with Brighton the visitors at Anfield.
The Reds haven’t played in the league since drawing against title rivals Manchester City back on March 10th. Three weeks will have passed by the time this weekend’s game kicks off.
In the intervening time, the pain of being robbed of a last-second penalty against Pep Guardiola’s side has hardly dulled. Click here to read more on what City winger Jeremy Doku has now had to say about his chest-high tackle on Alexis Mac Allister.
But, the show must go on. And although Liverpool have largely had positive injury news since they were last in action, there was another disappointing setback yesterday.
Just as he was last October, left-back Andy Robertson was injured while on duty for Scotland. The extent of the issue remains to be seen, but it will surely rule him out of Sunday at the very least. As a result, Jurgen Klopp is likely going to have to field a player who has rarely been seen over recent months.
Liverpool set to lose Andy Robertson
As ever with injuries, one player’s loss will be another’s gain. And in this instance – just as it was earlier in the season – that gain will likely be had by Kostas Tsimikas.
Tsimikas himself is not long off the back of a nasty collar-bone injury himself. Since being bundled over by Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka on December 23rd, the 27-year-old has only played seven minutes of football in the Premier League.
Indeed in those three months, Tsimikas has only started one game – in the FA Cup against Southampton in Feburary.
Should Robertson be ruled out for the Brighton match, then the Greece international will surely be in line to make his first Premier League start of 2024. It’s about time.
Joe Gomez will be another option for Klopp to consider. The England man has been fantastic whenever needed at right, left or centre-back this season.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold still out though, we think Klopp may decide to stick Gomez in at right-back. That will open the door for Tsimikas to finally get his start.
Kostas Tsimikas ready for Reds restart
Tsimikas had actually been in brilliant form back when he got injured in December. After initially struggling to fill in for Robertson, the Greek really stepped up and looked every bit a regular starter.
Following his piece of bad luck against Arsenal though, Gomez came in and showed that Kostas was not going to be especially missed.
For however good he’s been mind you, Joe is not a natural left-back. Without Robertson, Tsimikas does a much better like-for-like impression. Klopp once called him ‘insane’ and he can be crazily good on his day.
After the heartbreak of losing Greece’s Euro 2024 play-off to Georgia last night, Kostas could do with some good news. We think Jurgen is just about to provide it.