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Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate is facing a spell on the sidelines after limping off after the win over Real Madrid on Wednesday night with a knee injury.
The Frenchman has started every Premier League game bar the season opener at Ipswich, where he replaced Jarell Quansah at half-time in a tactical change. He has formed a formidable partnership with captain Virgil van Dijk.
But it appears Arne Slot will be without his trusted defensive pairing for the crunch clash against champions Manchester City on Sunday – and the hero of Wednesday night, Conor Bradley, is also not fit.
Konate wrote on Instagram: ‘So frustrating to pick up this injury right at the end of a great game on Wednesday night. Now we start the recovery process but one thing I promise is I will come back and be the best I can be once again.
‘Thank you for the amazing support at Anfield. Inshallah we will keep going and I will support the team every step of the way.’
Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit again after a hamstring blow and will likely play, while Slot must decide whether to start Joe Gomez or Jarell Quansah alongside Van Dijk.
Ibrahima Konate will miss Liverpool’s Premier League showdown against Manchester City with a knee injury
The Frenchman limped off after the final whistle of the Reds’ win over Real Madrid following a coming together with Los Blancos striker Endrick
Quansah was given the nod by Slot ahead of Konate in the Reds’ opening Premier League match against Ipswich but lasted just 45 minutes before being replaced by the Frenchman.
The youngster, who enjoyed a breakout campaign last term, has struggled for form in his rare appearances this term. Gomez, meanwhile, was brought on late for Bradley against Real Madrid and has reinvented himself as a utility man at the back for the Anfield club in recent seasons.
The 27-year-old was the most frequent partner of Van Dijk during Liverpool’s title-winning 2019-20 campaign but injuries and poor form saw him lose his place in the starting XI before his recent resurgence.
Given the injury to Bradley, the return on Alexander-Arnold will be even more welcome to the Liverpool manager ahead of the visit of Pep Guardiola’s out-of-sorts side. The Premier League leaders can go 11 points clear of the defending champions with a win on Sunday evening.
