Liverpool injury, suspension list and return dates for Premier League clash against Crystal Palace: Is Hugo Ekitike suspended?

After securing their seventh win of the season in midweek, Premier League champions Liverpool will travel to take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

The Reds beat Southampton 2-1 in the EFL Cup on Tuesday evening, with £125m-man Alexander Isak opening the scoring with his first goal for the club.

However, it took another late strike from Arne Slot's side to maintain their 100% record, though the scorer - Hugo Ekitike - was sent off for a second yellow card when he held up his shirt to the crowd in celebration.

The Liverpool manager described the Frenchman's behaviour as 'stupid', and questioned his choice to even celebrate in such a manner considering that it was a tap in created by Federico Chiesa against a Championship team, rather than a solo screamer in the Champions League.

Red cards in the EFL Cup, FA Cup and the top four leagues of the English football pyramid apply across all of those competitions, meaning that Ekitike's suspension will be served against Palace this weekend.

Elsewhere, 18-year-old centre-back Giovanni Leoni made his debut against Southampton, and while he performed excellently, he was forced off with what has now been revealed to be an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

As a result, one of the most promising young defenders in European football is set to miss at least the majority of the 2025-26 season, and it remains to be seen whether he will see the pitch again this term.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up all of Liverpool's latest injury and suspension news ahead of Saturday's clash.

Giovanni Leoni

Status: Out

Type of injury: ACL

Possible return date: Unknown

Leoni was one of Liverpool's best players on Tuesday night, outperforming a number of senior teammates and looking as if he had been playing at Anfield for a number of years despite being a newly-signed teenager.

The centre-back went in for a tackle in the right-back position, but an awkward angle and an awkward fall led to the defender tearing his ACL, and he is set for a battle to recover before the end of the season.

LIVERPOOL SUSPENSION LIST

Hugo Ekitike

Status: Out

Possible return date: September 30 (vs. Galatasaray)

Ekitike picked up his first yellow on Tuesday for punching the ball away, and his second (and subsequent red) for taking his shirt off in celebration of the winner, a series of decisions that Slot described as "stupid" in his post-match comments.

The striker will be missed against Palace considering his excellent form so far, having netted three goals and provided one assist in 370 Premier League minutes - a rate of one contribution every 92.5 minutes.