Szoboszlai out of Liverpool’s Manchester City clash with hamstring injury

Dominik Szoboszlai will miss Liverpool’s meeting with Manchester City on Sunday after a hamstring injury ruled him out. No return date has been reported, leaving his absence confirmed for the Anfield fixture and his availability beyond it unclear.

Liverpool have already reshaped their starting side. Andoni Iraola makes three changes from the team that beat Bournemouth 1-0 before the international break: Lewis Koumas makes his first Premier League start, while Victor Munoz and Ryan Gravenberch also come in. Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are the players replaced.

Gravenberch’s inclusion gives Liverpool a midfield change, but the available league figures offer little measure of Szoboszlai’s full contribution. He has played one league game this season, with no goals or assists recorded. That record cannot quantify what Liverpool lose creatively, so the clearest immediate impact is his absence from the side rather than a change to a measurable scoring contribution.

The timing raises the difficulty. Liverpool are seventh after five matches, with nine points from two wins and three draws. City arrive as league leaders after a 5-3 win over Sunderland. They make one change, with Josko Gvardiol dropping to the bench; Erling Haaland leads the attack after missing Norway’s final Nations League game with an injury concern. Haaland has one league appearance this season, without a goal or assist.

City’s visit also comes after the club were found guilty of more than 100 breaches of financial rules, as reported by Metro. That is significant background to the fixture, but Liverpool’s immediate task is to deal with a changed starting XI against the league leaders.

The match kicks off at 16:30 BST on Sunday, 11 October. With no timeframe given for Szoboszlai’s hamstring injury, the next question is whether he will be available after the City game.