Liverpool games Dominik Szoboszlai could miss as Man City absence explained

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is reportedly absent from the Reds' squad to face Manchester City due to a hamstring injury.

The Hungary international was expected to keep his place in midfield for the visit of the Premier League leaders, but major concerns over his availability were raised on Sunday morning.

A video on social media showed Liverpool players arriving at the team hotel, but Szoboszlai was not seen in the footage, and nor was teammate Alexis Mac Allister.

The latter's situation was clarified in a separate report, though, as it was revealed that Mac Allister had arrived at the hotel the day before, and the Argentine was named in Andoni Iraola's starting lineup.

However, Szoboszlai was nowhere to be seen when Liverpool confirmed their XI, and Iraola explained the midfielder's absence to the media before the match.

"Dominik Szoboszlai has a tight hamstring and, despite trying to push through in training, he is not 100% ready," the Liverpool manager said.

Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai misses Man City clash due to hamstring injury

Szoboszlai started six of Liverpool's first seven games of the 2026-27 season in all tournaments, including each of their opening five Premier League fixtures and their Champions League win over Atletico Madrid.

The former RB Leipzig man scored three goals in those seven appearances before starting in all four of Hungary's Nations League matches, playing at least 80 minutes in each of them.

Szoboszlai has stayed largely injury-free since joining Liverpool in 2023, missing just 12 games for the Reds since he joined, two of which were due to illness in the 2024-25 season.

The Hungarian did sustain two separate hamstring problems in the 2023-24 campaign, which ruled him out for four and six games respectively, but he did not miss a single match through injury in the 2025-26 season.

However, with Szoboszlai absent against Man City, Iraola has recalled Ryan Gravenberch to the first XI, while Trey Nyoni, James McConnell and Wataru Endo all make the bench.

Liverpool games Dominik Szoboszlai could miss with hamstring injury

The exact severity of Szoboszlai's hamstring injury is still not known, but even a Grade 1 problem - a minor strain - would likely rule the midfielder out for around two weeks.

As a result, Szoboszlai is also at risk of missing Liverpool's upcoming games against LASK Linz (Oct 14), Brentford (Oct 17), Villarreal (Oct 20) and Brighton & Hove Albion (Oct 25), depending on when he picked up the injury.

A Grade 2 injury normally carries a three to six-week recovery period, meaning Szoboszlai could also sit out crunch matches with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United between now and November 22.

If the Hungarian has suffered the most serious grade of hamstring injury - a muscle tear - he would likely spend three months on the sidelines, meaning a return just after the New Year.

Iraola's update suggests that Szoboszlai has only suffered a small issue, but for now, Szoboszlai joins Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley in the treatment room.