Liverpool’s win over Chelsea on Sunday was tempered by an injury to Diogo Jota, with the Reds now nervously awaiting the results of a scan to determine its severity.
The 27-year-old was hauled down by Tosin Adarabioyo in the opening minutes of the game at Anfield, with the Blues defender fortunate not to be sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity. Having initially received some on-field treatment, the Portugal attacker later had to be substituted in the 30th minute.
Arne Slot has said (via The Athletic) that he expects our number 20 to miss tomorrow night’s Champions League clash away to RB Leipzig, but that might only be the tip of the iceberg if our worst fears are realised.
How long is Jota likely to be ruled out?
Football injury analyst @physioscout on X (verified account) – who provides ‘analysis from a sports science perspective’ – gave their assessment of Jota’s injury and shared a projected timeline as to how long the forward could be sidelined.
They explained: “Likely possibilities are either a rib contusion (bruise) or a rib fracture. Most rib injuries tend to be a pain management issue, which resolves within 1-2 weeks. However, scans are necessary to check for any rib fractures.
“Rib injuries are among the most painful to manage, which could be one reason why he couldn’t play on. Recovery Time: If rib contusion: 1-2 weeks. If rib fracture present: 4-6 weeks.”
Jota could miss several huge games for Liverpool
If it’s nothing more than a rib contusion and Jota is out for a fortnight, that’d rule him out of the trips to Leipzig and Arsenal and the double header against Brighton, with a possibility of returning for the Bayer Leverkusen game on 5 November.
However, a fracture would be a nightmare scenario for Liverpool, as the 27-year-old would definitely be out until after next month’s international break and could possibly miss crucial Anfield dates against Real Madrid and Manchester City if it’s a six-week absence.
For the Portuguese forward to be ruled out for nine matches, including several against elite opposition, would be a hammer blow for the Reds and for him personally, having already missed 25 games from three other injuries within the past 12 months alone.
At present seems unlikely that Jota will be back on the pitch for the rest of October, but given the potential for a fracture and the timeline set out by the injury analyst, an early November comeback wouldn’t seem too worrying. For now, keep those fingers crossed that it’s just a minor issue.