Alisson, Ekitike, Chiesa: Arne Slot gives Liverpool injury update as key man ruled out of Man United clash
Liverpool injury news ahead of the Premier League clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Arne Slot has provided a Liverpool injury on Alisson Becker ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Chelsea in the Premier League.
The goalkeeper was forced off with a hamstring injury in the 1-0 loss against Galatasaray in the Champions League earlier this week. Alisson has not been included in Brazil’s squad for upcoming friendlies against South Korea and Japan respectively.
Alisson has had problems with his hamstrings in recent seasons. And his latest setback means that he will be absent for a sustained period, with Giorgi Mamardashvili set to make his Premier League debut against Chelsea.
Slot admitted that Alisson is also likely to miss the clash against Manchester United after the international break. The Reds boss said: “Alisson is not part of the squad tomorrow and is not going to travel to Brazil. He will be out for Saturday. Depends on how fast the recovery goes. Clear he’s not going to be here on Saturday and for Brazil and I’d be surprised if he plays in the first game after the international break.”
Alisson has suffered hamstring problems in recent seasons, which is unusual for a goalkeeper. Asked if that is a concern, Slot replied: “I am not a doctor, I cannot tell you if it is every time, the same. What I'm mainly interested in is if he can play at the weekend and how long it is going to take and a lot of people in the club can give you a better answer than I am.”
Hugo Ekitike was also forced off against Galatasaray. The striker, who has scored five goals since signing from Eintracht Frankfurt, felt that he only had cramp rather than pulling a muscle and he has been named in France’s set-up for World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Iceland.
Federico Chiesa was unavailable for the Galatasaray encounter because of a minor issue. The forward came off the bench to score in last weekend’s 2-1 loss against Crystal Palace, which ended Liverpool’s perfect start of their Premier League title defence.
However, both will train today and a decision on whether the pair can play against Chelsea will be made. Slot added: “Hugo is going to train today again and we will see how he is. The same can be said for Federico.We have to wait and see after the session.”
Giovanni Leoni underwent surgery earlier this week after rupturing his ACL. The centre-back will not play again this season.