Liverpool FC team news vs. Ipswich – Injuries and available squad

Arne Slot has a wealth of options for his first competitive game in charge of Liverpool, with a positive injury situation heading into the trip to Ipswich.

Slot begins his reign proper on Saturday as Liverpool Travel to Portman Road for a 12.30pm kickoff away to newly promoted Ipswich.

One of the main positives regarding the appointment of the Reds’ new head coach was the record he and his staff at Feyenoord enjoyed in improving and maintaining the fitness of his players.

After a pre-season scheduled that took in six friendlies – inclusive of a behind-closed-doors meetings with Preston at the AXA Training Centre – that has paid off so far.

There are only two absentees of sorts ahead of Ipswich vs. Liverpool:

• Jayden Danns (back) – out
• Bobby Clark (imminent transfer) – out

In reality, it was doubtful whether either Danns or Clark – the latter of whom is set to join Salzburg – would be in the squad to Travel to Suffolk, with Slot taking a rather brutal stance on the club’s youngsters as he works with a fully fit senior group.

The likes of Ben Doak, Owen Beck, Harvey Blair and Kaide Gordon all dropped to the U21s after playing for the first team for much of pre-season.

Thursday saw Slot deliver a message to both the first team and U21s squads as they stood together on the pitches at the AXA, but they then broke off with Harvey Davies and Trey Nyoni the only academy regulars to stay.

Slot will be forced to cut some of his senior players too, with only 20 spots available in his matchday squad and 28 training in the buildup.

Davies will be one of those omitted, with Vitezslav Jaros, Nat Phillips, Sepp van den Berg, Tyler Morton and Stefan Bajcetic among the others likely to miss out.

Liverpool’s starting lineup for the clash with Ipswich will be largely informed by what we have seen throughout pre-season.

Ryan Gravenberch is expected to start in the No. 6 role while Kostas Tsimikas and Jarell Quansah are likely to be preferred to Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate in defence.

The same goes for Slot’s attack, with Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz set to join Mohamed Salah up front with Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez short of minutes.

Things are likely to change as the weeks go by, but all involved will be hoping that is not enforced by any major injuries.

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Liverpool’s available squad vs. Ipswich

Goalkeepers: Alisson, Kelleher, Jaros, Davies

Defenders: Van Dijk, Quansah, Konate, Gomez, Phillips, Van den Berg, Alexander-Arnold, Bradley, Tsimikas, Robertson

Midfielders: Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Endo, Gravenberch, Elliott, Jones, Bajcetic, Morton, Nyoni

Forwards: Salah, Jota, Nunez, Diaz, Gakpo