Why is Florian Wirtz not playing for Liverpool today against West Ham United in the Premier League?

West Ham can breathe a slight sigh of relief that their prospects of winning today will not be changed - for better, or more likely, worse - by Florian Wirtz, who is unavailable for Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

The German midfielder was ruled out of appearing at Anfield against the Irons way before the match day, having also missed Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest, West Ham’s closest relegation rival, with a back issue.

In that game at the City Ground, Liverpool made tough work of beating Forest without Wirtz’s input, but managed to do so, with a last-gasp Alexis Mac Allister goal sealing all three points for the Reds.

This time out, West Ham will be hoping for an equally stodgy performance from Slot’s team as the Hammers look to scrape together any points they can in order to catch either Forest of Spurs ahead of them.

Wirtz had a slow start to life in Liverpool, and many were left unimpressed with his early performances at his new club. Across the first 12 matches in the Premier League for Liverpool, he failed to register a single goal or assist.

However, slowly but surely he has returned to the player we all saw for Bayer Leverkusen, and now has 3 assists and 4 goals in his last 13 games in the league.

What is worrying for Liverpool fans is what Slot said about Wirtz’s back issue: “I don’t expect Florian to be available,” he confirmed. “It’s a disappointment. Every time a player is not available is a disappointment, it’s something that I didn’t expect after last week.”

Pressed further on when he could return to action, Slot revealed that “at this moment time, I don’t know. Usually when I say that, I do know and I don’t want to share that. But this time, I honestly don’t know.”

Related stories

U.S.-Israel attack on Iran

Soccer stars flee Iran amid U.S., Israel strikes

LaLiga

Mercado upstages Messi as he readies for big move

Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.