Liverpool must wait another five days to be back in Premier League action after the international break with Everton its next opponent at Anfield. The Reds’ women’s side fell to a 1-0 defeat against the Blues this weekend and a repeat of that scoreline would not be pleasant for Jürgen Klopp.
After the Merseyside derby, though, Liverpool has other important matches coming. A favorable run of fixtures before the next international break could set things up nicely for a period where points are collected quickly, while Manchester City faces a slightly trickier list of games.
All the while, Klopp will be hoping for no more injuries before the end of this international break, some positive news on Andy Robertson, and for at least a couple of those who are currently out to return quickly. Cody Gakpo should not be far away, Klopp said just over a week ago, despite fears of a longer-term issue for the Dutch forward when he limped off against Spurs.
Andy Robertson injury fears eased
After dislocating his shoulder against Spain while captaining Scotland, it seems more likely than not that Liverpool will be without Robertson for the game against Everton. It looked like a painful incident but the full extent is not yet known.
Ideally, of course, Robertson would be available again as soon as possible, but there is an anxious wait ahead for an update. Jürgen Klopp will no doubt provide an update in his press conference on Friday.
Thiago Alcântara and Stefan Bajčetić return
While Liverpool has begun the season well and Klopp has had lots of options to pick from in most areas, adding another two midfield players into the squad would be no bad thing. Thiago and Stefan Bajčetić should hopefully be back in contention relatively soon.
Thiago cannot be relied upon for every minute of every game and he has been out for a long time, but the Spaniard would be a massive bonus to be able to drop in now and again. Bajčetić could be a perfect alternative to Alexis Mac Allister as the number six.
Man City drops more points
Before Pep Guardiola’s side faces Liverpool when the November international break is over, Manchester City faces Brighton, Manchester United, Bournemouth and Chelsea. You would like to think, considering Liverpool has Everton, Nottingham Forest, Luton and Brentford, the Reds could go into the head-to-head clash ahead in the Premier League table.
The gap at the moment is only one point with Liverpool having had a harder start to the new campaign, but Rodri is now back after suspension which will make a massive difference. Manchester City will not drop many points, but there are some more tricky games coming for them which could be worth watching.
No more red cards
Liverpool has already had four players sent off this season, though Mac Allister’s against Bournemouth was ludicrous and Virgil van Dijk, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota were all unfortunate for different reasons. Keeping 11 players on the pitch would be a big benefit and Liverpool has only done that in five out of eight Premier League games to date. That has to surely change in the next few weeks.
Carabao Cup progression and Europa League pathway
With Liverpool having a big squad, going far in the cup competitions will be important this season. In order to keep everyone happy, Klopp needs his side to get through against Bournemouth in the next round of the Carabao Cup.
Getting through there and wrapping up the top spot in its Europa League group as early as possible has to be a big aim for Liverpool in the next few weeks. That would allow for rotation and guarantee more minutes for those who need them.
But it would also have the potential to secure as much as $3.75m (£3.08m/€3.56m) in prize money (the total sum of topping the group, winning two more group games in the process, and what you get for reaching the round of 16). In one way, Liverpool would be better off (financially) by coming second in the group and getting the gate receipts from an extra match at Anfield in the new year (the round of 32) but there is no way that Klopp would want that.
It remains to be seen whether or not Liverpool can challenge in the Premier League this season, but even if that proves slightly out of reach, there are three other pieces of silverware that should be eyed up.
