Advertisement

Kostas Tsimikas hands Liverpool yet another boost during international break

-Credit: (Image: 2024 Sebastian Frej/MB Media)
-Credit: (Image: 2024 Sebastian Frej/MB Media)


Kostas Tsimikas will not play in Greece's Nations League match against Ireland on Sunday, having also missed Thursday's win over England at Wembley.

It means the left-back will not have featured at all during the October international break, and should be fresh for when Liverpool's season resumes in a week's time.

Tsimikas' absence for his country is not due to an injury, rather he has been suffering from an illness. While that is no doubt unpleasant, it means the left-back will not have added any competitive minutes to the clock by the time Liverpool's campaign resumes.

That will be a welcome boost to Arne Slot, whose side faces a tricky run of fixtures in the coming weeks. Liverpool resumes its season against Chelsea on Oct. 20 before games against RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton (twice), Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa.

Tsimikas is one of three players who will be returning to Merseyside early, with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk also due back on Merseyside either over the weekend or early next week.

Salah was taken out of the Egypt squad due to concerns that he could pick up an injury while playing on an artificial pitch against Mauritania in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying. Van Dijk, meanwhile, was sent off for the first time in his international career against Hungary on Friday night.

Kostas Tsimikas has been poorly
Kostas Tsimikas has been poorly

The Reds captain was shown a yellow card for dissent, after he protested a Hungarian player's foul on Donyell Malen, before he was shown a second yellow card for a foul in the 79th minute.

Van Dijk was clearly infuriated by the referee's original decision to book him for dissent, telling ESPN after the match: "[The red card] is a bummer, should not have happened. But I'm especially angry about the first [yellow card]. They say the captain is the only one who can talk to the referee. I walk up to him. Up tempo, but not in a nasty way, not at all. Very respectful. Because I felt it was a breakaway player, he did not go for the ball at all. If even the captain can not say anything... then it gets difficult."

Curtis Jones, meanwhile, departed the England squad for a personal matter ahead of the Three Lions' game against Finland. Jones was called up to the Lee Carsley's squad after a number of players who were originally selected withdrew from the camp, and the Liverpool midfielder was an unused substitute in Thursday's chaotic loss to Greece.