Alexander Isak gives Liverpool fitness update as striker issue identified
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Liverpool had to dig deep against Southampton in their Carabao Cup third round match on Tuesday night, but they managed to secure their place in the last 16 after yet another late show.
In that match, Palace came out on top in the Community Shield, managing to secure a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes at Wembley before triumphing on penalties.
At the time of that match, record signing Isak had not yet joined Liverpool, and it now falls to Arne Slot to decide whether to give the Swede his first league start for the club.
Here are our latest updates from around Anfield.
Alexander Isak has yet to play a full match for Liverpool since his summer transfer, with manager Arne Slot cautiously managing the striker's game time following a limited pre-season.
He made an appearance as a substitute against Everton on Saturday, and could potentially make his first league start for the Reds this weekend.
If Arne Slot intended to gradually integrate Isak into the team, that plan may now be complicated due to Ekitike's suspension.
Former Tottenham and Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood, who was providing punditry for the cup tie on Tuesday, empathised with the Liverpool manager while speculating whether Ekitike felt threatened by Isak's arrival.
"I think it's the pressure of Isak being there, the noise around it," Sherwood said.
Bayern were amongst the contenders for the Bayer Leverkusen before Liverpool entered with a record bid.
"I have to say honestly, in the case of Florian Wirtz, it still hurts, I feel sorry for him," Rummenigge told Sport Bild.