CARDIFF SUFFER BIG BLOW AHEAD OF ANFIELD TRIP
CARDIFF City captain Sean Morrison’s season is over and Alfie Doughty could be out for six weeks with the injuries they sustained at Barnsley in midweek.
Bluebirds skipper Morrison was helped off the pitch just minutes into the game on Wednesday, while Doughty was the victim of an utter horror challenge from Tykes skipper Mads Andersen in the second half.
Cardiff manager Steve Morison said he was not hopeful about the outcome of the scans and his worst fears have been realised.
Scans revealed Morrison has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which typically has a returnto-play prognosis of around nine months.
It brings back memories of Joe Bennett almost a year ago, when his Cardiff career was ended by an ACL injury he sustained against Derby County.
Given Morrison’s contract is up at the end of the season, unless he signs a new deal he could have played his final game in a Bluebirds shirt.
For Doughty, who had been at the club less than a week following his deadline-day loan move from Stoke City, the verdict is better.
The left wing-back had looked bright in his two outings against Nottingham Forest and Barnsley, before Andersen’s reckless challenge has sidelined him for what could be between four and six weeks.
The news added to Cardiff’s injury woes ahead of today’s FA Cup clash with Liverpool at Anfield.
Joe Ralls and Curtis Nelson are concerns. while Doughty would have been unable to play regardless, given that he’s already cup-tied for this fixture, as too are fellow January arrivals Cody Drameh, Uche Ikpeazu and Max Watters.
Morison is likely to give the youngsters who saw oiff Preston in round three a chance to shine again.
He said: “It’s a really good opportunity to reward some of the younger players that have been tasked with looking after this football club over the last six months and trying to get it away from the bottom of the table.
“We are going to be playing at one, if not the most, iconic stadiums in football.
“We will be in front of 8,000 Cardiff City fans and a full Kop, and as a football player it doesn’t get better than that.
“Some will be scared, some will be nervous and they should be. It’s about how well they control that.
“Some of them may never get the chance to play again at Anfield and may get that extra urge off the back of it to actually say: ‘This is where I want to play all my games of football.’
“We know they’re good football players and a lot of it comes down to controlling that emotion, the mental side of it on days like that.”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is facing an anxious wait on the fitness of Thiago Alcantara.
The Reds are already without star forwards Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, who are set to face off in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, and Klopp admits Thiago is also now a doubt for the visit of Steve Morison’s men.
The Spaniard had previously returned to training this week after recovering from a hip problem, but has since suffered a setback in his recovery due to illness.
Speaking ahead of the visit of the Bluebirds, Klopp said: “Thiago trained with us. Unfortunately, when Covid is around, you think it’s the only infection you can get, but he had a little chest infection, so he had to step aside again.
“It’s not perfect, of course, but I expect him to be in team training again today. So we’ll see.
“The injury is completely fine. He looked really good in training.
“Naby Keita is completely fine,” Klopp added. “He came back full of energy. He had a few days off as well and came back here after AFCON.”
It remains to be seen if new £50m signing Luis Diaz will be involved following his recent arrival from Porto.