Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo was absent from Liverpool’s training session on Tuesday ahead of his side’s clash at Parc des Princes against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Reds beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the Premier League last Wednesday but had a free weekend due to their prior elimination from the FA Cup at the hands of Plymouth Argyle in early February.
Boss Arne Slot will have welcomed the extra preparation time given he will be able to field a strong and refreshed starting XI in the Champions League this Wednesday in their round of 16 first-leg clash against Ligue 1 champions PSG, who had to play a league game against Lille on Saturday.
The Dutch boss might have hoped for an easier tie given his side finished first in the league phase of the competition, but the Merseysiders arguably come into the clash as favourites considering their outstanding domestic form.
However, Slot may have to contend with the absence of forward Gakpo, who was not spotted in training ahead of the Reds’ Champions League showdown in France, and he may join Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez and Tyler Morton on the sidelines.
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Cody Gakpo’s importance
Mohamed Salah has received plaudits for his performances this season having scored 30 goals and provided 22 assists in just 39 appearances.
The Egyptian’s stellar campaign has perhaps overshadowed the strong displays of Gakpo, who is the Reds’ second top scorer (16) and his tally of five assists means he has the second most goal contributions (21) of any player in the squad.
Gakpo only needs to produce one more goal or assist to match the tally he totalled for Liverpool last term, and his improvement under Slot has cemented his place in the starting XI.
It should also be noted that the Dutch winger has a strong track record in games against elite opponents, with the attacker scoring against Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
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Can Liverpool beat PSG without Gakpo?
Gakpo is excellent at attacking space inside the box, and he has found the back of the net numerous times this season after Salah played a pass to the back post.
While Liverpool will miss his tall presence in the box, winger Luis Diaz is also adept at attacking space in the penalty area, and the Colombian could benefit from playing alongside striker Diogo Jota.
Jota is comfortable dropping into deeper pockets of space, and he may allow Diaz to dart into space behind PSG’s backline.
Additionally, given Salah has only failed to register a goal or an assist in eight of his 39 games for Liverpool, it would be surprising if the Merseysiders did not find their way onto the scoresheet.
