Szoboszlai's knee call waits until the last minute as Hungary chase League A

Dominik Szoboszlai is staying with Hungary, but nobody can say yet whether he will play. After tests on the knee sprain he picked up in Liverpool's 3-1 win at Crystal Palace, the Hungarian federation said Tuesday that a decision on its captain's availability "will almost certainly only be made at the last minute," and the games he might miss could decide whether Hungary reach League A of the Nations League.

Szoboszlai needed treatment shortly before halftime on Sunday. He played on with the knee heavily strapped and wore a brace in the second half before Andoni Iraola took him off in the 69th minute.

On Monday the federation said he would undergo tests before any call was made on the international break. Tuesday's update kept him in camp: "Dominik Szoboszlai has undergone the required medical examinations. Following his knee sprain, the national team's medical staff will do everything possible over the coming days to ensure that the team captain is available to the coaching staff as soon as possible."

The 26-year-old had already signaled where he stood. On Monday night he posted photos of himself arriving for national team duty with the caption "Back in town."

Liverpool's coach made it clear after the game which outcome he would prefer, while accepting it is not his decision.

"In the last international break we lost three very important players in Alex (Isak), Cody (Gakpo) and Dom. So now I'm praying – it's the last thing we need," Iraola said. "I think Dom extended the knee a little bit. It was fine but not 100%."

He added: "I know what I want, but I also have to understand the national teams. I'm sure that Dom, if he is fine he will want to go, but I'm not sure if he's going to be fine."

The timing is what makes this hard for Hungary. They visit Georgia on Saturday in their second-to-last League B Group 2 game, then host Northern Ireland on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Going into the window, Northern Ireland lead the group with eight points, Hungary have seven, Ukraine four and Georgia two, according to the Irish FA. Only the group winner goes straight up to League A, and second place means a playoff against one of the lowest-ranked teams from the top tier. Northern Ireland have not conceded a goal in four games, and the first meeting at Windsor Park ended 0-0.

If Hungary win in Georgia, Tuesday's game in Budapest probably becomes the group decider, which explains why the medical staff are holding the decision as long as they can instead of sending their captain back to Merseyside now.

The Premier League returns on Nov. 21, and Iraola said he hopes Liverpool are "in a better place in two weeks." Whether that includes a fit Szoboszlai may depend on how much of the Northern Ireland game Hungary think they can ask of a knee that, by his own coach's account, was not 100% when he left the field.