In the 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Anfield last month, Salah found the back of the net but he will not repeat that achievement this weekend. Earlier this week, the 31-year-old left Merseyside and headed to the Ivory Coast to represent Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations. Wataru Endo has also temporarily departed as he will be in action for Japan in the Asian Cup.
Oleksandr Zinchenko may also miss out, with Arteta revealing a decision is still to be made, while Klopp has already confirmed that Dominik Szoboszlai has suffered a hamstring issue that will keep him out. The Hungary international is an important player for Klopp but the absence of Salah is sure to be the biggest concern for the trip to Emirates Stadium, although the Liverpool boss believes he has a replacement.
“Not really a lot (of preparation without Salah), I think we played against West Ham without Mo on that side when Harvey played there,” Klopp admitted via Liverpool Echo. “We all know in the moment, hopefully it stays that way, we have different offensive options who can all play that wing in a different way.
“Nobody, not Harvey, not anybody else who plays that wing, should play like Mo. It is not possible so we just have to find another way and have to use the boys with their skills. That’s exactly the idea behind. Do we want to play without Mo? No, but if we have to. In the past we didn’t have to do it that often but we always found a way to get through these periods. I’m pretty sure we’ll be fine.
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“But of course we play Arsenal. At Arsenal, you can lose with Mo Salah so it is possible as well you lose without him. But in the moment we have a chance to win the game so I think we should more think about that.”
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