‘Good to see’ – Journalist welcomes double injury boost for Liverpool ahead of FA Cup clash
Liverpool have gone with an unusually strong line-up for the FA Cup third round as they host Barnsley tonight, and the Reds have also been boosted in terms of the options available off the bench.
Arne Slot has made six changes from the side which drew at Arsenal last Thursday, although Virgil van Dijk, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo are among the big names to keep their places.
There are a couple of notable faces among the substitutes as well, including two players who’ve been missing in recent matches due to injury.
Hugo Ekitike is on the bench after being ruled out against Fulham and Arsenal due to a muscle problem, while Wataru Endo returns to a matchday squad for the first time since the 3-3 draw at Leeds in early December, having overcome an ankle issue.
Liverpool given double injury boost ahead of FA Cup clash
When the Liverpool starting XI was confirmed an hour before kick-off, the attention of Liverpool Echo journalist Theo Squires was drawn to the returning duo.
He wrote on the publication’s live matchday blog (18:57): ‘That’s a stronger side than I thought it might be. Good to see Ekitike and Endo back on the bench after injury, and another chance for Chiesa and Ngumoha to impress on the flanks.’
Ekitike and Endo make timely returns to Liverpool squad
Slot’s squad depth has been rather restricted in recent weeks, and Liverpool were dealt a hammer blow on Sunday with the news that Conor Bradley will miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury towards the end of the 0-0 draw at Arsenal.
The returns of Ekitike and Endo to the matchday squad are even more welcome amid that devastating setback for the Northern Ireland defender, and the ongoing absences of Alexander Isak and Mo Salah (the latter won’t return until next week due to Egypt reaching the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations).
The Reds’ head coach will probably be hoping that he won’t have to call upon the French striker tonight and that the front three of Federico Chiesa, Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha can get the job done against Barnsley with a degree of comfort.
However, with the Japanese midfielder alarming short of game-time this season (just 43 Premier League minutes), this seems like the ideal fixture into which to reintroduce him to the fold and get some much-needed minutes into his legs.
Even if Ekitike and Endo don’t make it off the bench against the Tykes, their availability is nonetheless a welcome boost for injury-hit Liverpool, and a few extra days’ training could see the former primed to come back into the starting XI to face Burnley next weekend.
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