Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed that Alisson Becker will not feature in Saturday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea after sustaining an injury in the 1-0 Champions League defeat to Galatasaray.
The Brazilian goalkeeper, was withdrawn in the 56th minute in Istanbul, with summer signing Giorgi Mamardashvili coming off the bench.
Alisson had earlier produced a fine stop to deny Victor Osimhen but was forced to limp off shortly afterwards.
Explaining the situation, Slot revealed that Alisson felt pain while ‘sprinting back’ and admitted in his post-match conference that his immediate reaction was to ‘fear the worst’.
He said, ‘If my player is on the floor, nine out of ten times I fear the worst—and by that I mean he cannot continue. It’s never positive if you go off like this. You can be sure he is not playing Saturday.’
The injuries compounded a frustrating week for Liverpool, who have now fallen to successive defeats for only the second time in Slot’s tenure, following last weekend’s Premier League loss to Crystal Palace.
Becker’s fitness continues to be a concern for Liverpool, with the Brazilian having already endured lengthy absences last season.
The 32-year-old sat out 10 Premier League fixtures in 2023-24- one through a thigh injury, seven with a hamstring problem, and two following a concussion – while also missing three Champions League ties against RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, and Real Madrid.
Blow
In the campaign before that, Alisson was again sidelined for 10 matches, although earlier seasons had seen him ruled out on rare occasions due to illness.
Liverpool may also be sweating on the condition of Hugo Ekitike, who limped off during the second half at Rams Park on Tuesday night.
‘I wasn’t really thinking that we had an injury, but Hugo felt something,’ Slot explained. ‘He said he couldn’t continue, so we had to take him off. Let’s see how he is for the weekend.’
The Reds now turn their attention to Saturday’s trip to Chelsea as they look to end a poor run of form. Ekitike will need to be assessed before his availability for the match is known.
Last weekend’s game against Palace, combined with Arsenal’s dramatic win over Newcastle, has also allowed the Gunners to close the gap to two points in the Premier League title race, so the Reds cannot afford to lose the tie against Chelsea.
