Liverpool dealt massive blow as Jurgen Klopp confirms star man will not feature against Arsenal in FA Cup fixture

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai will not play in the club's upcoming match against Arsenal. The two heavyweight teams will meet in an FA Cup third-round fixture at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, January 7.

Szoboszlai has been a fixture in the Reds' starting XI since arriving for a reported fee of £60 million (via The Guardian) in the summer. The Hungarian has started 19 of their 20 Premier League matches, coming off the bench only in their 2-0 win away to Burnley on December 26.

However, a hamstring injury threw his participation in the match against Arsenal in doubt. Klopp has now confirmed that Szoboszlai will be unavailable for that game, as well as the first leg of their EFL Cup semifinal against Fulham on Wednesday, January 10.

The Liverpool boss said (as quoted by @TheAnfieldTalk on X):

“Dom is very positive, he doesn’t have a lot of pain but no chance for Sunday or Wednesday. Then we will see after that.”

Szoboszlai was notably crucial to his side's progression to the EFL Cup's last-four stage, scoring twice in three matches in the competition. He has also recorded two goals and three assists in the league, while averaging 1.8 key passes, 3.4 duels won and 6.4 ball recoveries per game, with a passing accuracy of 88%.

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Who else is expected to miss Liverpool's FA Cup match against Arsenal?

Apart from Szoboszlai, Liverpool will be without Joel Matip, Andrew Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas and Stefan Bajcetic through injury for their FA Cup match against Arsenal.

Matip ruptured his ACL in early December and has been ruled out for the season. Meanwhile, Robertson is recovering from a shoulder injury he picked up playing for Scotland in October. Bajcetic has received just 72 minutes of action this term and has been out since late September with a calf injury.

Tsimikas is the most recent casualty, having suffered a broken collarbone during the Reds' Premier League fixture against Arsenal on December 23. In the first half of that match, which ended 1-1 at Anfield, the Greek defender was shoved by Bukayo Saka and tumbled out of play before crashing into Jurgen Klopp.

Lastly, Liverpool will also be without their top-scorer for the season, Mohamed Salah, and holding midfielder Wataru Endo. The duo are currently on international duty, with Salah competing at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations and Endo participating in the 2024 AFC Asian Cup.