Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he is still unsure if Ibrahima Konate will be available for Sunday's top-of-the-table Premier League clash with Manchester City at Anfield.
The former RB Leipzig defender was withdrawn early in the second half of Thursday's 5-1 Europa League thrashing of Sparta Prague in the first leg of their last-16 tie, complaining of apparent hamstring tightness.
There was a precautionary element to Konate's substitution, but Klopp was none the wiser about the severity of his issue straight after the game, and the German had no update on his condition in Friday's pre-game press conference.
However, the Reds boss said that the Frenchman was feeling "rather positive" after being taken off at epet Arena, while Joe Gomez - the most likely candidate to deputise for Konate if need be - is fine after a pre-planned half-time substitution.
"Yeah, fresh, Joe [Gomez] is fine - Ibou, I don't know," Klopp said. "Ibou was rather positive last night, he thought he made the right decision in the right moment saying it's better I go [off].
© Reuters
"But how we know, that doesn't mean a lot unfortunately. He will get scanned, definitely, [but] so far I don't have the results of that. All the others are fine."
Klopp also confirmed that Mohamed Salah - who made his first appearance since February's win over Brentford on February 17 against Sparta Prague - came through his cameo unscathed and is therefore primed to return to the starting XI for the first time since New Year's Day.
However, Liverpool remain without Curtis Jones (shin), Trent Alexander-Arnold (knee), Alisson Becker (thigh), Joel Matip (knee), Ben Doak (knee), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Thiago Alcantara (muscle) and Ryan Gravenberch (ankle), while Jayden Danns is recovering from a concussion.
Sunday's blockbuster battle will mark the final time that Klopp leads Liverpool into a Premier League match with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, having announced his intention to step down from his post at the end of the season.
The Anfield clash may not be Klopp's last-ever meeting with Man City, whom Liverpool could lock horns with in the FA Cup final, but the former Borussia Dortmund boss does not believe that his sequence of epic battles with Guardiola meets the "rivalry" threshold.
© Reuters
"Yeah. I don't feel there is a rivalry. I understand that you call it like that, but there is no rivalry," Klopp added. "We are just both pretty competitive, we both want to win football games, we both are blessed with having really good players in our teams. And that's it pretty much. But it's not a rivalry.
"We have said it before, if we meet in the future it will be full of respect. So far, we did not have the opportunity to meet each other more often. But I think I said it often enough how much I respect him. We would have a lot to talk about, definitely, so that's all fine.
"But on Sunday it is not about me having the opportunity [for the] last time [to manage against Guardiola], it's anyway not sure because maybe in the FA Cup – for that we have to get through the next round – we could meet again."
Liverpool hold a one-point lead over the reigning champions at the summit ahead of the weekend, but they will begin Sunday's clash in second place if Arsenal get the better of Brentford on Saturday evening.
The Reds came from behind to rescue a 1-1 draw at the Etihad earlier this season and prevailed 1-0 in last season's Anfield battle with Man City, but they have since failed to win three in a row against Guardiola's men.
No Data Analysis info
Germany
Switzerland
Hungary
Scotland
Spain
Italy
Croatia
Albania
England
Denmark
Slovenia
Serbia
Austria
France
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Belgium
Slovakia
Ukraine
Portugal
Turkey
Czech Republic
Georgia