Liverpool star set to miss crunch match against Aston Villa

Arne Slot confirmed the news in his press conference

Gakpo picked up a knock in that tense 2-2 draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby last week which descended into chaos after the final whistle.

He was not a part of the team that beat Wolves at the weekend and now Slot has confirmed he will not be a part of the squad that will take on Unai Emery's side.

BREAKING: Arne Slot confirms Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo will miss tomorrow's game against Aston Villa 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Siqx1yhMgC

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 18, 2025

A win over Villa would see the league leaders go 10 points clear of Mikel Arteta's Gunners.

However, Slot is also without Joe Gomez who has picked up a hamstring injury and looks likely to be sidelined for a 'long time'.

Slot said: "Both are unavailable for tomorrow. Cody is the closest to being back but Joe will take quite a long time. He is going to be out for a number of weeks because of a hamstring injury.

"It's a big blow for Joe and for us. He tries to do everything to be with the team. He works really hard to come back and then the first game when he came back after two or three minutes we saw him making a sprint and now he is out for weeks again.

"So that's always very hard for a player in every part of the season, let alone a part of the season everyone is looking forward to."

Slot will be hoping Gakpo will be fit enough for the trip to Manchester on Sunday where his side will face current Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad.

They have not won at the Etihad in the Premier League since 2015.

Slot told the press: "There's 13 games to play, and the next one is the most important one. Villa have a great home record, maybe even more in night games. It's going to be a challenge but we have quite an okay away record. It's a game for everyone to look forward to."