Philippe Coutinho Among 4 Liverpool Stars Left Out for Hoffenheim Playoff 1st Leg
Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho has been left out of the club's 22-man squad for the first leg of the Champions League playoff with Hoffenheim in Germany this week.
The Brazilian, who submitted a transfer request on Friday as Barcelona try to prise him away, was missing from the Reds' opening game of the new Premier League campaign against Watford on Saturday as a result of a back injury.
Prior to the weekend, Coutinho had missed a week of training and so it appears his absence, for now, is not directly related to the uncertainty surrounding his Anfield future.
Fans grew nervous over the weekend when it became apparent that Coutinho's image had been removed from a window display at one of the club's official stores. But the Liverpool Echo later clarified that all images from that display were being removed to make way for an autumn range.
Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne and Daniel Sturridge are also absent from the travelling party, with all three joining Coutinho in missing the Watford game through injury as well.
The game at Hoffenheim's Rhein-Neckar-Arena in the town of Sinsheim is the first of two games that will decide which club takes a place in the Champions League group stage draw.
Liverpool's Full 22-Man Squad for Hoffenheim Clash:
Goalkeepers: Simon Mignolet, Loris Karius, Danny Ward
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alberto Moreno, Dejan Lovren, Joe Gomez, Ragnar Klavan, Jon Flanagan, Andrew Robertson, Joel Matip
Midfielders: James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, Emre Can, Ryan Kent, Marko Grujic
Forwards: Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Dominic Solanke, Divock Origi
