Liverpool were aiming to continue their mini-revival this weekend when they travelled to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest.
Arne Slot’s side responded to their 2-1 defeat against Manchester City with a hard-fought victory at Sunderland before sweeping aside Brighton and Hove Albion to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Fourth-placed Chelsea dropping points against Burnley offered further incentive for the Reds to maintain their momentum, but they suffered a big blow at the City Ground before a ball had been kicked.
Here’s what we know so far about star playmaker Florian Wirtz pulling out after the warmup.
MORE: All the latest Liverpool injury news
Florian Wirtz injury latest
Shortly prior to kickoff of Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool, news emerged at The City Ground that Wirtz would not be taking the field for the match. Curtis Jones took his place in the Liverpool midfield as the match begun.
Sky Sports later posted footage of Wirtz in conversation with a member of Liverpool’s backroom team during the warmups, but the initial nature of his injury was unclear.
Arne Slot is likely to provide an update on his condition after the match.
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Florian Wirtz Liverpool stats, transfer fee
After joining Liverpool for an initial £116m from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, Wirtz has racked up six goals and eight assists in 35 appearances across all competitions, up to and including the 3-0 FA Cup win over Brighton on February 14.
Four of those goals and two assists have come in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old did not score a goal for Liverpool until he found the net in a 2-1 win over Wolves on December 27. That set in motion a run of six goals in 10 matches.
MORE: How former Liverpool favourite James Milner broke the Premier League appearance record
Who won Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool?
Liverpool started sluggishly in Wirtz’s absence and the match remained goalless at halftime.
Liverpool fixture schedule: Next five games
Here are some of the upcoming matches for Liverpool that could see the Reds forced to play without Florian Wirtz if he ends up missing time for any potential injury.
Liverpool vs. West Ham | Premier League | Saturday, February 28Wolves vs. Liverpool | Premier League | Tuesday, March 3TBD vs. Liverpool | Champions League Round of 16, 1st leg | March 10/11Liverpool vs. Tottenham | Premier League | Sunday, March 15Liverpool vs. TBD | Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg | March 17/18