Liverpool frustrated as Klopp reveals both bad and good news ahead of West Ham clash in Premier League top 4 race.
On 27 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp shared the latest team update ahead of the 28th Premier League match of the 2025-26 season, hosting 18th-placed West Ham United on Saturday, 28 Feb.
In the current Premier League standings, Liverpool is sixth with 45 points, level with fifth-placed Chelsea but behind on goal difference (Chelsea +17, Liverpool +7), and three points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
Therefore, Liverpool needs a win against West Ham to keep hopes alive for a UEFA Champions League spot. However, they have received bad news that key midfielder Florian Wirtz will miss this match due to a back injury sustained in their recent 1-0 away win over Nottingham Forest.
In that game, Klopp had named Wirtz in the starting eleven, but his injury flared up during the warm-up, leading to a last-minute substitution with Curtis Jones. Klopp has now confirmed Wirtz will miss the West Ham game.
Klopp revealed Liverpool will only have right-back Jeremy Frimpong returning from a hamstring muscle injury. "Jeremy trained with us two to three times this week, so he is ready to play," he said.
"But I don't expect Florian Wirtz to be available. It's disappointing. Every time a player is unavailable, it's frustrating. This was unexpected after last week."
"(When will Wirtz be able to play again?) I don't know yet. Usually, when I say that, I know but don't want to reveal it. This time, I really don't know. It's disappointing for him and for us because he has been playing very well recently."
