'Missing': Arne Slot counts how many injuries Liverpool now have ahead of facing Tottenham on Sunday
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Liverpool can’t afford to give up any more ground in the Premier League title race as they face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The Reds have already seen their lead at the top slashed to two points and could have fallen behind Chelsea into second by the time they kick off in North London.
It will not be an easy task against Ange Postecoglou’s team – who Liverpool will also face in the Carabao Cup semi-final after Thursday’s draw.
Part of the difficulty for Liverpool of late has been the issue of dealing with injury problems, largely occurring within their defence.
Arne Slot had only four fit senior defenders available for Wednesday’s trip to Southampton, for example, and had to play Wataru Endo at centre-back.
And ahead of another tough-looking fixture, the Liverpool head coach revealed exactly how many problems his squad has for the Spurs clash.
Liverpool only missing two through injury
Over recent weeks it has felt like Liverpool defenders have been dropping like flies.
However, after Kostas Tsimikas made his return during Wednesday’s game, things are actually not as bad as they seem.
Andy Robertson will also be back from his suspension on Sunday, meaning that both options at left-back are available once again.
And speaking to reporters during his pre-Spurs press conference on Friday, Slot confirmed that only two senior players are now missing from the Liverpool squad.
READ MORE: Ibrahima Konate shares new update as he continues recovery from Liverpool injury
“There are only two players in red at the moment, which means there are two injuries left and a a few of them are coming back,” said the Dutchman.
“I think we’re only missing two players on the training pitch today, which is a positive thing.”
Which two Liverpool players are missing?
After weeks of players like Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa and Tsimikas being unavailable, it’s great to hear that only two are now out of action.
Of course, these are both defenders, though, with Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley the unlucky duo. When pressed for details on how the pair are doing, Slot was not giving much away.
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“These are the two who are still red, they don’t train with us at the moment,” he said. “They are on their way back but they don’t train with the team yet.
“Let’s wait and see, the main thing is that if they come back they are ready to come back. We must not focus on two or three days, it’s more important for the long-term that they stay fit afterwards.
“Until now they’ve [the physios] done really well and hopefully with Conor and Ibou the same thing happens.”
Hopefully we’ll get a more precise update from Arne ahead of Thursday’s Boxing Day game with Leicester City.