Liverpool’s season has been impacted by injuries to some key players, yet they have continued to perform well.
Key figures like Federico Chiesa, Alisson Becker, and Diogo Jota have faced fitness challenges, but their replacements have stepped up, helping the team rise to the top of both the Premier League and Champions League standings.
Arne Slot’s team is now preparing for a crucial stretch of matches, including games against Premier League champions Manchester City and Champions League holders Real Madrid.
Before that, they will travel to St Mary’s to face Southampton, currently in last place in the Premier League. Slot has provided an update on the availability of some players ahead of these matches.
Alisson and Jota are both currently sidelined and are expected to miss the key Champions League match against Real Madrid.
Slot confirmed this in his pre-match press conference but remains hopeful that Trent Alexander-Arnold will recover in time from his injury. He commented, as reported by *Rousing The Kop*:
“For next week, we’ll have to wait and see, as the final week is tricky due to isolated group sessions, making it difficult to judge.
I can’t say if it will be one, two, or three days. Alisson and Jota won’t be fit for that game [against Real Madrid], but we’ll see about Trent.”
The return of Harvey Elliott to fitness will provide a major boost for the Liverpool manager, giving him more options in midfield.
Virgil van Dijk, who appeared to struggle during international duty, is expected to lead the team this weekend in the Premier League.
Slot is fortunate to have a deep squad, a strength that can be credited to former manager Jürgen Klopp, who left the team in a strong, competitive position.
While Liverpool has everything going in its favor this season, pundit Paul Merson has suggested that things could change in January, predicting that either Mohamed Salah or Trent Alexander-Arnold might sign a pre-contract agreement with another club.
