Hugo Ekitike has been called up by France manager Didier Deschamps for this month’s World Cup qualifiers, allaying fears over an injury picked up against Galatasaray.
Ekitike started Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat in Istanbul before being forced off in the 68th minute after stretching to receive an under-hit pass.
He was subsequently forced off after treatment from Liverpool’s medical staff, leading to concerns over another injury following Alisson‘s departure earlier in the game.
The striker suggested to reporters after the loss that it was simply a bout of cramp, which indicated he will be available for the trip to Chelsea on Saturday.
Those chances are boosted with the news that Ekitike was part of the France squad announced on Thursday afternoon.
France will play Azerbaijan (Oct 10) and Iceland (Oct 13) in two World Cup qualifiers following Liverpool’s clash at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Deschamps held a lengthy press conference to discuss his 23-man selection but Ekitike’s fitness was not a major topic for the reporters assembled.
Liverpool expect Ekitike to be fit for their 5.30pm kickoff against Chelsea, though the likelihood is that Alexander Isak will start up front.
Isak and Ekitike have been rotated in recent weeks with Arne Slot acknowledging after the defeat to Galatasaray that neither were able to benefit from “the pre-season a player should have.”
“There are a few players that missed pre-season so you simply cannot play them every single [game],” Slot told reporters.
“Well you can, but then that could become a risk of players becoming injured.
“We have seen this more and more because the demands go up more and more, and if the demands go up you have to prepare players for these demands.
“That means that it is not always that I want to rotate but sometimes I need to because a player is not ready to play three times 90 minutes in seven or eight days.”
Isak likely to start vs. Chelsea
With Isak coming off the bench for 28 minutes on Tuesday the likelihood is that he and Ekitike will swap for the meeting with Chelsea four days later.
Federico Chiesa is another option to start up front with the Italian set to return to contention after not travelling to Turkey.
Ekitike was belatedly called up to the France squad for the first time in last month’s break, replacing the injured Rayan Cherki, and came off the bench against both Ukraine and Iceland.
He faces competition from Christopher Nkunku and Jean-Philippe Mateta this month, as they vie for minutes behind first-choice striker Kylian Mbappe.
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