Thiago to miss Reds’ League Cup clash with Norwich

LIVERPOOL midfielder Thiago Alcantara will miss the next two matches after picking up a calf injury over the weekend, while Trent AlexanderArnold is sidelined with illness, the Premier League club said yesterday.

Thiago was substituted in the second half of the 3-0 win against Crystal Palace and assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders said he would miss today’s League Cup game at Norwich City and Saturday’s league clash at Brentford.

“I can’t say now how long it will take but definitely not tomorrow and not at the weekend,” Lijnders told the club’s website.

“Let’s get the scan results back and we have a proper diagnosis.

“A shame as well because he was taking the game by the hand, he was a proper playmaker in my opinion. A shame that we miss him.”

Thiago is the second midfielder Liverpool have lost to injury in recent matches after Harvey Elliott needed surgery when he broke his ankle against Leeds United.

Right-back Alexander-Arnold will also miss the third round tie at Norwich. Lijnders said it was not Covid19 and that the 22-year-old did not have symptoms.

The game also comes too soon for forward Robert Firmino who returns to training this week after a hamstring injury.

Lijnders said Liverpool would use the competition to blood youngsters, adding that 20-year-old midfielder Curtis Jones would definitely start.

“We want to compete with a certain style of football, we want to press and be offence and dominant and control the game,” he told reporters.

“If you want to play like this you need fresh legs, fresh minds and energisers on the pitch and that’s what we try and do.

“To understand team selection you need to understand our ways.

“For us it’s an important competition despite what people are saying because we want to introduce new talent and we have this group of players who want to become proper legends, we really look forward to this.”

Meanwhile, Manchester City will have to field several youngsters in today’s League Cup clash against Wycombe Wanderers as a number of players are suffering from injuries, manager Pep Guardiola said.

“I don’t have any alternative (against Wycombe) ... we are going to play a few young players,” Guardiola was quoted as saying by the club’s website on Sunday.

“We have John (Stones), Aymeric (Laporte), Oleks (Zinchenko), Rodri and I think (Ilkay) Gundogan all of them injured.

“It’s a good opportunity for the academy - that’s why they are there.”

Following the match against Wycombe, City face Premier League leaders Chelsea, Paris St Germain in the Champions League and then Liverpool within a space of nine days, meaning the injuries are causing Guardiola a considerable amount of concern.

“Some players might rest for the games we have coming up ahead of us,” he added.