Liverpool defender Joel Matip is set to miss Liverpool’s fixture against Crystal Palace on Monday.
The Cameroonian picked up a groin injury during training today according to The Telegraph, and is a doubt for the opening home match of the season at Anfield.
He joins Ibrahima Konate on the sidelines, leaving Liverpool with Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Nat Phillips as the only fit senior centre-backs.
Sepp van den Berg was ready to leave on loan, but he may be kept behind in reserve with the injury to Liverpool’s no.32.
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Matip had a long history of injuries prior to last season, in which he featured regularly as the Reds nearly completed an unprecedented quadruple.
He played 31 times in the Premier League, scoring 3 goals, and his availability was crucial throughout a long and stressful Liverpool campaign.
He even won himself a Player of the Month award in November 2021 after a string of impressive performances, with manager Klopp seriously impressed with his contribution.
“Joel is a very, very famous figure in the group, in the team. He obviously gets not a lot of headlines and I have said a couple of times, I am not too much into individual prizes for football players, but I understand it a little bit."
"But if somebody should have won it then I think it really makes sense that for once it is Joel. It is really cool.”
The 31-year-old will be a big miss for the Reds as they take on Patrick Vieira’s Eagles, who despite losing on the opening day to Arsenal, showed spells of real attacking intent.
It will leave an opening for Gomez who failed to feature much last season due to the fitness and form of Matip and Konate, and will look to make a good impression on his return to the first eleven.
It is still unclear as to how long Matip will be out, but Jurgen Klopp will hope for a swift return ahead of a busy schedule before the World Cup.
Topics: Joel Matip, Liverpool, Crystal Palace
Chris Stonadge