Spartak Moscow Star Winger Quincy Promes Expected to Miss Liverpool Game

After his manager admitted yesterday that it was uncertain he would be ready to face Liverpool at his pre-match press conference, today it appears all but certain Spartak Moscow’s top attacker will indeed miss the Champions League group stage tie this evening due to a calf injury suffered last week.

Quincy Promes, who already has six goals and three assists in 10 total appearances for Spartak this season, is expected to be left off the matchday squad entirely when it is released. The absence of the 25-year-old winger, who has been heavily linked to Liverpool in recent seasons, is a major blow for Spartak.

“It’s still uncertain if he will play tomorrow,” manager Massimo Carrera admitted yesterday afternoon when he was asked by reporters about Promes’ injury status. “I’ll have to discuss him with our doctors tonight, but I can only say for now that Pedro Rocha has more of a chance to feature.”

Both Promes and Rocha suffered injuries last week during Spartak’s mid-week domestic cup tie against FC Krasnodar, which Spartak won 2-0. As a result, both missed the weekend’s league match against FC Anzhi Makhachkala that saw Spartak concede two second half goals in a 2-2 draw.

Spartak signed the 22-year-old Rocha over the summer from Gremio, and the Brazilian is considered the long-term replacement for Promes should the star Dutchman leave the Russian club at the end of the current season—with Liverpool still being linked with him, at least in the Russian press.

"He's a very good player but there's nothing else to say," was Jürgen Klopp’s take when asked about Promes. "There are a lot of good players we have already. We already have a Dutch player and they are good friends but this is not the place to talk about it. He's a good player but a Spartak player."