Liverpool suffered a late setback ahead of their marquee clash against Manchester City after Dominik Szoboszlai was withdrawn from the matchday squad due to a hamstring problem.
The Hungarian midfielder’s omission came as a surprise, as Liverpool had not listed him in their pre-match medical report, which had focused primarily on the absences of Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak.
Szoboszlai had featured in two matches for Hungary during the international break, playing 80 minutes against Georgia and 87 minutes against Ukraine, helping his country secure back-to-back victories to sit second in their UEFA Nations League group.
Liverpool have yet to clarify whether the 25-year-old felt discomfort during international duty or upon returning to club training, and the full extent of the injury and expected recovery timeline remain undetermined.
Szoboszlai has been one of the Reds’ most influential figures this season, having started all five Premier League matches and scoring once, alongside goals against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League and Tottenham in the League Cup, bringing his total to 3 goals in 7 appearances across all competitions.
The midfielder’s absence adds to a mounting injury list for Liverpool, who are already without Gakpo, Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, and Giovanni Leoni. Meanwhile, Manchester City entered the blockbuster fixture without Phil Foden through suspension, while Nico O’Reilly was also sidelined following a physical issue that forced him to withdraw from the England squad.
