Arne Slot said he would be ‘surprised’ if Curtis Jones was passed fit in time to face Paris Saint-Germain this week after he picked up an injury in Liverpool’s defeat of Fulham.
The Reds welcome the French champions to Anfield on Tuesday in the Champions League quarter-final second-leg, and trail them 2-0 after a tricky reverse fixture.
But their hopes of a comeback will be impeded somewhat after being handed a fresh injury headache.
Jones went down off the ball late in the first-half of Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Fulham and was replaced by Ryan Gravenberch.
Slot later confirmed that he was a major doubt to face PSG after picking up a groin injury.
Slot explained: “He felt a little bit in his groin. It wasn’t a moment, he felt it already for a few minutes.
“Let’s hope for the best, but I would be surprised if he is available for Tuesday.”
He continued, lamenting Liverpool’s dismal luck with injuries this campaign, which has seen them spend long spells without various key players including Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley.
“I would almost say ‘welcome to our season’. Every time after we win, or something good happens, there is always an injury following it up, but it is a win and that is what we should be really happy about.”
Even with Jones sidelined, Slot was in a generally positive mood after snapping a three-match losing run against Marco Silva’s Cottagers, thanks to goals from Rio Ngumoha and Mohamed Salah.
He insisted that the Reds could dream of turning over PSG, and called on the Anfield faithful to turn out in full voice.
“The fans will be behind us and the players will give everything they have to turn things around. I can tell you we are up for it, we're ready for it, and Anfield will be ready for it.”
