Salah, Alexander-Arnold, & Szoboszlai: Liverpool injury list & expected return dates ahead of Brentford clash

Liverpool head into the weekend knowing that anything other than a win over Brentford in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off could see them slip from the top of the Premier League table. The Reds have both Manchester City and Arsenal snapping at their heels, and currently sit just two points clear of their title rivals.

Last time out, Jurgen Klopp's men survived a minor scare to see of struggling Burnley at Anfield, eventually running out 3-1 winners over Vincent Kompany's relegation-threatened Clarets. Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, and Luis Diaz were all on the scoresheet in that one.

But if Liverpool are to pick up another victory this weekend, they may have to do so without a number of recognisable first team names. We've taken a look at the Reds' current injury list, and their expected return dates where possible, below...

Joel Matip

Matip is not expected to play again this season after rupturing his ACL in early December. Since then, he has undergone surgery, but it could be a while before he is seen in a match day squad again.

Stefan Bajcetic

The young midfielder has missed a large part of the current campaign due to injury, and is still understood to be a little way off full match fitness as he continues to battle a calf problem. Speaking on January 9th, Pepijn Lijnders said: "[Bajcetic] will not be ready for the end of this month. It will probably be going into the next month to train with us. But [with] no complications, progressing."

Thiago Alcantara

Another player who has struggled with injury this term, Thiago is recovering from a muscle complaint sustained during his only appearance of the campaign so far, the recent defeat to Arsenal. Jurgen Klopp has since suggested that it is not a 'big, big injury' but it remains unclear as to just how long the midfielder will be out for.

Ben Doak

The promising attacker tore his lateral meniscus in December, and required surgery as a consequence. It could be a while before he is back in contention to feature.

Mohamed Salah

In many respects, the biggest absence in the view of most Liverpool supporters. Salah sustained a muscle injury during his ill-fated African Cup of Nations campaign, but Jurgen Klopp expects him to be available again sooner rather than later. Speaking on February 9th, he said: "We hope, but we don't know, we hope that he can be part of parts of training next week. But we have to see, he is going through all the phases now and it's positive. It's either next week or the week after."

Dominik Szoboszlai

Another keenly felt absence, Szoboszlai picked up an injury during the recent win over Chelsea, but it is not wholly obvious as to when he will be back to full match fitness. The midfielder is back in training, as of last week, but it is unclear as to whether he will be available to face Brentford on Saturday.

Kostas Tsimikas

The full-back is recovering from a broken collarbone sustained in December, but Jurgen Klopp seems optimistic about the imminence of his return to first team football. Speaking at the end of January, he said: "Kosti is close. Kosti is actually fit, Kosti just has to wait now for the green light because the bone healing takes much longer, but the plate is doing the job in the moment. Now we have to figure out when is one taking enough over, let me say it like that. And then he's in training as well. He was not out that long."

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Another big name doubt, Alexander-Arnold was withdrawn during the win over Burnley, and his manager has since confirmed that he will face a late assessment prior to Saturday's trip to Brentford. Klopp said: "Same area in the knee. Nothing really bad, but he felt it again and we have to see, we have to assess it. Trent said it's fine, but it's not fine [because] he feels it so we had to be careful and took him off."

Alisson Becker

The Anfield number one was absent against Burnley due to illness, but has been pictured around Melwood in recent days, and should be in line for a return at the weekend.

Joe Gomez

Gomez's situation is very similar to Alisson's insofar that he missed the win over Burnley because of illness, but now looks to be firmly on the mend ahead of Saturday's trip to Brentford.

Conor Bradley

Bradley was withdrawn from Liverpool's squad at the weekend on compassionate grounds following the tragic passing of his father. It is unclear at this stage when the young defender will return, but he has been spotted at Melwood in recent days.