Eight players could miss Liverpool vs West Ham as Florian Wirtz update to be issued

Liverpool takes on West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday looking to continue its upturn in results as the race for the Champions League places heats up

Florian Wirtz during a Liverpool training session.(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Liverpool once again has a full week to prepare for its next Premier League game, though that didn't lead to a strong performance against Nottingham Forest last time out.

When the Reds take to the field against West Ham United on Saturday, they will need to play a lot better than they managed for the majority of the game at the City Ground, even if Alexis Mac Allister proved to be the match-winner late on.

It is possible that they will be without as many as five players through injury, however. Florian Wirtz's issue is not expected to keep him sidelined for long but it remains to be seen the extent of his problem.

Wirtz felt his back during the warm-up in Nottingham and was replaced by Curtis Jones. The German had to sit in the stands but he could return for the next game; Arne Slot will offer an update in his pre-match press conference.

Alexander Isak is working his way back to fitness but won't be back for another few weeks at least, while Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo are out for the season.

Jeremie Frimpong has been missing lately, but he is closing in on a return. Like with Wirtz, Slot will offer an update in his pre-match media briefing.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

West Ham could be without three players, meanwhile. Freddie Potts is suspended after getting sent off against Burton Albion in the FA Cup.

Young forward Pablo is not far away from a return, while Lukasz Fabianski has a back issue. Neither of those players might be available for Nuno Espirito Santo.

There have been calls for Liverpool to bring 17-year-old forward Rio Ngumoha into its starting XI at the weekend after he impressed in his cameo off the bench last time out.

Rio Ngumoha has impressed this season(Image: Getty Images)

However, the Reds will be careful with integrating the teenager, who shouldn't be played too often to avoid burnout and ensure that problems further down the line — as the likes of Stefan Bajcetic and Jayden Danns have had — are avoided.

"He has incredible potential, otherwise at 17 years of age you don't play as many minutes as he does in the Premier League, let alone at Liverpool," Slot said.

"I don't think there's any other 17-year-old that has played so many minutes this season in the Premier League as he did. I don't think there is an 18- or 19-year-old maybe that played so many minutes as he did, but that last thing I'm not 100 per cent sure about.

"So that tells you how much of a talent he is and we think he is. He's making progress more and more and that's why lately you see him playing more and as well.

"He gets stronger. Apart from his moment where he had that one-v-one, there were also one or two other moments where he showed that he stands his ground.

"That is, of course, what you need because you face 25-, 26-, 27-, 28-year-old athletes mainly as your opponents.

"We're a bit of an exception in terms of the age of our group of players, most teams we face have players of different ages and different physicality. For him to show this already at 17 years of age says something about his talent."