Explanation provided for Joel Matip’s absence from Liverpool squad to take on Man United
Last Updated: January 24, 2021 4:42 pm
United host Liverpool
The marquee fixture of the FA Cup’s 4th-round is set to take place at Old Trafford shortly.
The clash in question will see historic rivalries renewed, when Manchester United and Liverpool face off for a place in the competition’s last-16.
Adding further spice to the occasion is of course the fact that the two sides only met last weekend, in a Premier League showdown at Anfield.
On that occasion, an altogether forgetful 90 minutes eventually saw the spoils shared, in a drab 0-0 stalemate.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JANUARY 17: Thiago of Liverpool challenges for the ball with Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield on January 17, 2021 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around England remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Since, though, it is today’s hosts who have enjoyed the better of things.
Manchester United moved back to the summit of the English top-flight on Wednesday, courtesy of a hard-fought 2-1 win over Scott Parker’s Fulham.
Liverpool, on the other hand, saw their struggles to find the net continue, en route to a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Burnley.
Matip missing
As such, ahead of the fast-approaching kick-off in Manchester, fans of this evening’s visitors were no doubt desperate to see Jurgen Klopp field as strong an XI as possible, as the Reds seek out a much-needed morale boosting victory.
It therefore likely came as a blow when, upon Liverpool’s starting line-up being revealed, the likes of Sadio Mane and Jordan Henderson, the latter of whom also missed his side’s defeat to Burnley during the week, were nowhere to be seen:
Here’s how we line up against @ManUtd 👊#MUNLIV | #FACup
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 24, 2021
Another to have missed out on a starting berth at Old Trafford, meanwhile, is Joel Matip.
Cameroonian stopper Matip only recently returned from a spell on the sidelines, with his complete omission from Liverpool’s squad this evening, in turn, having led to immediate concerns regarding the possibility of a recurrence.
As confirmed by the reliable James Pearce, however, Jurgen Klopp and co. are simply attempting to manage the 29-year-old’s game-time, amid the hectic fixture list at present.
To be clear, Matip has not picked up another injury.
No Joel Matip in the squad today. #LFC managing him carefully following his recent return to fitness. Playing three times in a week (Spurs away coming up on Thursday) would have been too big an ask.
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) January 24, 2021
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This article was edited by Josh Barker.
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 27 | 39 | 65 |
| 2 | Leicester City FC | 28 | 16 | 53 |
| 3 | Manchester United FC | 27 | 21 | 51 |
| 4 | Chelsea FC | 27 | 17 | 47 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 26 | 6 | 46 |
| 6 | West Ham United FC | 26 | 9 | 45 |
| 7 | Liverpool FC | 28 | 11 | 43 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 26 | 15 | 42 |
| 9 | Aston Villa FC | 26 | 11 | 40 |
| 10 | Arsenal FC | 27 | 7 | 38 |
| 11 | Leeds United | 26 | -1 | 35 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 28 | -9 | 35 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 27 | -14 | 34 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 27 | -11 | 33 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 28 | -16 | 30 |
| 16 | Newcastle United FC | 27 | -17 | 27 |
| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 27 | -8 | 26 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 28 | -11 | 26 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 28 | -36 | 18 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 28 | -29 | 14 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 17 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 16 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 16 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 13 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 11 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 8 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City FC | 7 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 7 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 6 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 0 | 6 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 6 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 6 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 6 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 9 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 5 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 5 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Willian | Arsenal FC | 5 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 4 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
