It is a fortnight until Liverpool are back in action, welcoming Manchester City to Anfield on 11 October. Have they been in the news recently.... not sure, haven't checked! Well, with such a massive game on the horizon, Kopites may now spend the next two weeks sweating over the fitness of Alexander Isak.
That's because, on Sunday morning, it was confirmed that the striker has withdrawn from the Sweden squad "due to a minor injury". The club statement notes that the 27 year old "will now be assessed by club medical staff at the AXA Training Centre".
Isak started and scored as Graham Potter's Sweden returned to UEFA Nations League B by beating Romania 2-1 at the Nationalarenan in Stockholm on Friday night. He broke the deadlock after 20 minutes, Ionuț Radu unable to keep out his right footed shot, before completing the 90 minutes.
This was his 19th goal for the Blågult, but he will not be adding to this tally further during this break. Potter's team will now face Poland in Solna, Bosnia & Herzegovina in Zenica and then Romania again at the Arena Națională in Bucharest without him.
That though is not what Liverpool fans care about. The main question being, will Isak be fit to feature against Manchester City? Speaking in the mixed zone on Friday after the game, Isak's toe was clearly bleeding, but he played down but was quick to play down longer-term concerns:
"You can see it... It was a heavy stamp. Those of you who have played might know that it takes a few minutes for the pain to subside, but it was okay"Alexander Isak
This suggests there's no need to panic. However, in a press conference on Sunday, Potter has started that it is actually a thigh injury that has forced the striker to withdraw:
"Isak has a minor thigh problem. It’s nothing serious, but due to the number of matches in a short period of time, he won’t be able to take part. It’s frustrating for both him and us."Graham Potter
The 27 year old had started the season very impressively, scoring four times across all competitions, matching last year's tally already. His first campaign on Merseyside was severely disrupted by injury, most notably suffering a serious broken leg at Tottenham just before Christmas.
Given that Hugo Ekitiké is already sidelined, there is no obvious centre-forward deputy, meaning Isak is among the players Andoni Iraola can least do without. Between 11 October and 1 November, the Reds face Man City, Brentford, Brighton and champions Arsenal in the Premier League, as well as two Champions League fixtures and Chelsea in the EFL Cup, hence why missing Isak for any period of time would be cause for major concern.
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