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Liverpool could be short of up to seven senior players for their trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Arne Slot lamented having only 13 outfield players at his disposal ahead of the Reds' match against Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend.
Despite a brace from Hugo Ekitike securing a 2-0 victory for Slot's team, the win came with its own costs as the Dutch manager saw his squad options further reduced.
Joe Gomez had to be substituted in the first half due to a hamstring injury, while Dominik Szoboszlai also hobbled off towards the end after injuring his ankle. Mohamed Salah, who replaced Gomez, will now also be absent as he leaves for Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Slot was only able to name an eight-man bench, one short of the maximum allowed, against the Seagulls. His substitutes included two players, Wellity Lucky and Calvin Ramsay, who are yet to make their Premier League debuts.
Liverpool can at least look forward to the return of Conor Bradley for their journey to North London in their final game before Christmas, following his suspension during the Brighton win.
However, Slot may have to rely on the club's academy once again to fill his matchday squad due to the ongoing injury crisis. He has already confirmed that Gomez is expected to miss the Tottenham trip, while Szoboszlai's participation is also uncertain.
Meanwhile, it's yet to be confirmed whether Jeremie Frimpong will be fit for selection as he nears a return from a hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since the end of October.
"If I have a player who goes off with a muscle injury like Joe (Gomez), that's normally not a positive thing," Slot shared with the club following their victory over Brighton. "I would not expect him to be in the squad next week [at Tottenham Hotspur]. But sometimes you get a positive surprise.
"People now maybe understand a bit better why I was always so cautious not to play him so many games. I assume many people thought, 'If you have a defender, if you have a right full-back, why don't you play him?'".
"And Dom (Szoboszlai), it was his ankle. It didn't look great when I just saw him. But he has unbelievable mentality so let's hope for the best.
"The good thing is that Conor Bradley comes back from a suspension and normally Jeremie Frimpong will train with us also. But we're also going to miss Mo (Salah) because he is going to go to the Africa Cup of Nations."
Liverpool is already down Cody Gakpo and Wataru Endo, with Slot confirming last week that both players are expected to be out for several weeks due to muscle and ankle injuries respectively.
In other news, Giovanni Leoni remains on the long-term injury list after being ruled out for the season following an ACL surgery. The injury occurred during his debut for the club back in September.
Meanwhile, the reason for Trey Nyoni's absence from the matchday squad to face Brighton remains uncertain, while young talents Stefan Bajcetic, Jayden Danns (both suffering from hamstring injuries) and Kaide Gordon (meniscus injury) continue to be out of action due to their respective injuries.
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