Arne Slot is waiting on an update on several of his Liverpool players ahead of the Champions League clash in Girona
Liverpool will take an enforced breather this weekend with the postponement of the Goodison derby against Everton due to the impact of Storm Darragh. And it may give Arne Slot the chance to welcome back a number of players into contention for the Reds’ next outing in the Champions League at Girona on Tuesday.
Certainly, the Merseyside derby, had it taken place as scheduled on Saturday lunchtime, would have come too soon for goalkeeper Alisson Becker and forwards Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa.
Alisson hasn’t featured since tearing his hamstring at Crystal Palace more than two months ago, Jota has been out having suffered an impact injury to his upper body against Chelsea in late October, while injury and fitness concerns have meant Chiesa hasn’t been in a first-team squad since his only Liverpool start in the League Cup win over West Ham United in late September.
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Chiesa, though, has been training with the first team for more than a week and made a significant step on his road to recovery by playing an hour for the under-21s in midweek, scoring in the 4-3 Premier League International Cup defeat to FC Nordsjaelland at the Academy in Kirkby.
Alisson and Jota, meanwhile, were pictured working alongside the rest of the first team at the AXA Training Centre on Friday, underlining Slot’s declaration earlier in the day the duo were both much closer to a return.
And that could come in Spain against Girona on Tuesday, although bench duty seems the best any of the trio can hope for having been sidelined for such lengthy periods.
Liverpool will definitely be without four players for the game. Defenders Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley picked up knee and hamstring issues respectively during the Champions League win at home to Real Madrid almost a fortnight ago, with both only in the initial stages of their rehabilitation.
Kostas Tsimikas was on crutches pitchside during last weekend’s Premier League win over Manchester City as he continues to recover from an ankle injury that has ruled the left-back of Liverpool’s last four games.
Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, meanwhile, is serving a one-match suspension having picked up a third booking in the opening Champions League stage during the Real Madrid encounter.
