Liverpool sweats it out; 'Slot' reveals two bad news items ahead of Qarabag clash, aiming for UCL qualification.
On 28 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Arne Slot revealed Liverpool's latest status before their UEFA Champions League 2025-26 final group stage match at home against Qarabag from Azerbaijan, scheduled for tonight at 03:00 GMT+7.
Before the match, Liverpool sits 4th with 15 points, already securing a playoff spot as a seeded team and aiming to finish in the top 8 for automatic advancement to the round of 16. Qarabag ranks 18th with 10 points and still has a chance to qualify.
Arne Slot confirmed two bad news items: versatile defender Joe Gomez remains unavailable due to a head injury sustained in the recent Premier League loss to Bournemouth 2-3, and key defender Ibrahima Konaté has not returned from France following his father's death.
This means Liverpool plans to use Japanese international defensive midfielder Wataru Endo to drop back into defense alongside Virgil van Dijk again, as he did when substituting for Joe Gomez in the loss to Bournemouth.
However, the Reds received good news as Italian international forward Federico Chiesa has returned to training after recovering from injury. Counting all injured players, Liverpool currently has the following unavailable:
Joe Gomez (head injury)
Ibrahima Konaté (personal issues)
Alexander Isak (leg)
Conor Bradley (knee)
Giovanni Leoní (knee)
Jayden Danks (fractured bone)
