Conor Bradley was due to feature in both of Liverpool’s first two Champions League games against Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray, but was spared a suspension for the game against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Liverpool breathed a sigh of relief after Conor Bradley was spared a suspension for the Reds’ 5-1 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt. The Northern Ireland star was introduced for Jeremy Frimpong in the 19th minute as Arne Slott’s side came from behind to win in Germany.
Bradley had already received yellow cards in Liverpool’s opening two Champions League matches against Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray. Had he received another warning against Eintracht Frankfurt, the full-back would have received a one-match suspension under UEFA regulations and would have been excluded from the next Champions League match at home against Real Madrid.
According to Article 63.02: “From the first match of the league stage, after three cautions that do not result in a red card, and after an odd number of cautions thereafter (5th, 7th, 9th, etc.), players and team officials shall be suspended from the next official match.”
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However, despite appearing early against Frankfurt, Bradley managed to avoid such disciplinary action against the German side. He is one game away from serving his suspension, but will be able to play against the Spanish champions on November 4.
His presence will provide a much-needed resilience for Liverpool after Frimpong picked up a hamstring problem on Wednesday night. The Reds also saw record signing Alexander Isak withdraw from the game with a groin injury.
After the final whistle, Slott confirmed that the Dutchman had suffered a hamstring problem and was expected to be out for several weeks. “It’s not helpful to expect that Jeremy Frimpong is definitely going to be out for a few weeks because Alisson and Giovanni Leoni are already out,” confessed the Dutchman.
“Jeremy has a problem with his hamstring. He came back from a hamstring injury a few weeks ago and unfortunately he has to sit out now.”
The player, signed for £29 million from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, has already missed two games this season due to a pre-existing hamstring problem. He was absent from the Premier League match against AFC Bournemouth in August and did not feature again until after the international break in September.
Bradley injured his hamstring in pre-season and missed the opening two games of the season against Liverpool, forcing Slott to use Dominik Szoboszlai as an emergency right-back on several occasions throughout this season.
Joe Gomez and Wataru Endo are left on as substitutes if needed, but the Reds hope Bradley can remain injury-free and the now 22-year-old could end up with a long stay in Liverpool’s first team in Frimpong’s absence. Slott, the Reds’ only natural right-back option, will be relieved that he will not be without Bradley due to suspension when they face Real Madrid.
Liverpool are preparing to face former vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold and the La Liga giants at Anfield next month. Meanwhile, Bradley is just one European yellow card away from being suspended, while Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenbirch are the only players in Slot’s squad to feature in this season’s Champions League.
Both received warnings against Galatasaray last month and are at risk of a one-match ban if they receive a second yellow card in Liverpool’s upcoming European fixtures before the quarter-finals are over.
Grafenwerch missed the trip to Frankfurt due to an ankle sprain, but Slott had previously expressed hope that the Dutchman would be available for the Reds’ game against Brentford on Saturday night.
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