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            <p><span style="font-size: 16px;">Liverpool full-back <strong>Andrew Robertson (£6.6m) </strong>is set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up a shoulder injury during the international break. </span></p>
<p>Does that make <strong>Konstantinos Tsimikas (£4.4m) </strong>a good option in Fantasy Premier League (FPL)? We take a look at the latest news on Robertson's injury, Jurgen Klopp's comments on the duo and assess the Greek's fantasy credentials.</p>
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<h2>What happened to Andy Robertson?</h2>
<p>Robertson injured his shoulder in a collision with Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon while on international duty last week.</p>
<p>The Scotland defender looked to have dislocated the joint, prompting concerns he would be out of action for an extended period.</p>
<p>Ahead of Jurgen Klopp's <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/premier-league-predicted-lineups">pre-match press conference</a> on Friday (October 20), there were rumours circulating that Robertson could be out until the new year.</p>
<h2>What did Klopp say about Robertson in his press conference?</h2>
<p>The Liverpool manager confirmed Robertson would be out of the Reds' Gameweek 9 game with Everton.</p>
<p>And with surgery likely, speculation over a long absence appears to be the reality. He said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"There was a little chance we could try without [surgery] but after talking to pretty much all experts, it looks like surgery will be the best thing, especially in the long term and that means he's out for a while - don't know exactly how long but shoulder surgery is not an easy one.</p>
<p>"In my experience you can train pretty quickly but not football specific because you have to be careful with challenges and this kind of thing."</p>
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<h2>Is Tsimikas nailed in the Liverpool team now?</h2>
<p>Robertson is only around 6% owned in FPL, however the potential of cut-price defender Tsimikas could be particularly good news for those playing their Wildcard this week or next.</p>
<p>Klopp was asked directly about the Greek left-back at his press conference, who last month signed a new contract with the club.</p>
<p>But his words should act as a word of warning to FPL managers who might expect Tsimikas to be nailed in the starting 11. Klopp said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Thank God It's not only Kostas because otherwise with the amount of games we have we would already be a bit short but we have Joe Gomez who can play the position, we have Luke Chambers and other young boys who show up in training..."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>He added:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Kostas is definitely the most experienced in the position so that's good but he cannot play in all the games from now on so we need other options as well and that's what we have to make sure we can use all of them."</p>
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<p>Chambers however has been managing a 'little ligament injury', Klopp noted, so Tsimikas's main rival in Gameweek 9 at least is likely to be £4.5m Gomez.</p>
<p>Quality of opposition going forward could be a deciding factor in who plays ahead of Robertson. Gomez is a more natural fit in tougher match-ups if Klopp wants his left-sided defender to operate more as a centre-back.</p>
<p><strong>Update: Tsimikas started in FPL Gameweek 9 against Everton, playing 62 minutes before being subbed off for Darwin Nunez. He scored six points and has now risen in price to £4.5m.</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_58917" style="width: 802px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58917" class="wp-image-58917 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-20-at-15.40.09.jpg" alt="" width="792" height="646" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-58917" class="wp-caption-text">Konstantinos Tsimikas</p>
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<h2>Is Tsimikas a good option in FPL?</h2>
<p>Liverpool rank second best for overall fixture difficulty between Gameweek 9 and 14.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/best-and-worst-fixtures-fpl-gameweek-9-10"><strong>Best and worst fixture runs from Gameweek 9 and 10</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Two home games, against Everton and Nottingham Forest, followed by Luton away, will lead to plenty of investment in Liverpool attacking players, particularly <strong>Mohamed Salah (£12.7m)</strong>.</p>
<p>Their fixtures rank fourth best for defensive difficulty, so the emergence of Tsimikas could be a budget gift that is too good to ignore for those playing their Wildcard.</p>
<p><strong>Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.9m)</strong> is a much pricier option for those looking to target this run of games, and may be difficult for many managers to afford.</p>
<p>Liverpool have kept just one clean sheet this season, with their expected goals conceded (xGC) around midtable (ninth).</p>
<p>This does not suggest they are one of the best defences in the league, although a set of kind fixtures could see them improve on their tally of shutouts.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-team-reveals"><strong>See how our experts line up for FPL Gameweek 9</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Tactical considerations</h3>
<p>Alexander-Arnold has often slotted into midfield while Liverpool are in possession of the ball, leaving Robertson operating more as a left centre-back than a forward-pushing left-back at times.</p>
<p>Despite this, the Scot has had opportunities to get up the pitch, with the duo's heatmaps not looking too dissimilar over the course of the season so far.</p>
<div id="attachment_58909" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58909" class="size-full wp-image-58909" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Robertson-v-Alexander-Arnold-heatmap.jpg" alt="" width="897" height="731" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-58909" class="wp-caption-text">Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold's heatmaps</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Neither has set the world on fire from a creative perspective yet though, and again their stats are similarly matched.</p>
<p>But the Reds have had some challenging fixtures to start their 2023/24 campaign and the games ahead should offer a good amount of attacking opportunities.</p>
<p>Tsimikas made 20 league appearances last season, 11 of which were from the bench. He managed four assists at a rate of 0.20 per appearance, just behind Robertson on 0.24.</p>
<div id="attachment_58910" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58910" class="size-full wp-image-58910" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Robertson-v-Trent.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="731" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-58910" class="wp-caption-text">Andrew Robertson v Trent Alexander-Arnold</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Set-piece opportunities</h3>
<p>Robertson has taken 24 corners this season, more than any other Liverpool players, and the second most indirect free-kicks (three).</p>
<p>Tsimikas is therefore likely to get a share of set-pieces duties, offering a left-footed alternative to Alexander-Arnold and <strong>Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m)</strong>.</p>
<div id="attachment_58912" style="width: 1292px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58912" class="size-full wp-image-58912" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Liverpool-set-pieces.jpg" alt="" width="1282" height="753" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-58912" class="wp-caption-text">Liverpool's corner takers this season</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Does Tsimikas make our AI teams?</h2>
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Is Tsimikas a good FPL option with Robertson out injured?

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