Arne Slot confirmed Liverpool must face Arsenal without Diogo Jota leading the line.
After passing its first major test against Chelsea, Liverpool is on its way to the Emirates for its second top-six clash in seven days. Assuming Manchester City secures a victory against Southampton, the Reds need to take three points from Mikel Arteta's men to stay atop the Premier League standings.
Defeating Arsenal is difficult enough, but Liverpool now must do so as injuries pile up. The Liverpool boss issued a fitness update ahead of the Oct. 27 fixture and did not have good news to share.
"Federico [Chiesa] might train with us today or tomorrow, but Diogo [Jota] definitely not," Slot said. "[Alisson] is progressing well, like we expect, but it's not a short-term recovery."
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Jota suffered a rib injury against the Blues and was forced to come off the pitch in the 30th minute. He was unavailable for Liverpool's midweek Champions League fixture against RB Leipzig and will remain on the sidelines this weekend.
Jota bagged four goals and two assists in his 10 appearances across all competitions this season. He started all but one match he played prior to his injury.
For the second consecutive game, Slot will rely on Darwin Núñez as his starting No. 9. The Uruguayan scored the winner for the Reds against RB Leipzig, recording just his second goal all season.
Despite Núñez's lack of production, the striker will have the edge against an Arsenal backline without William Saliba, who must serve his suspension for receiving a red card against Bournemouth last weekend.
Caoimhin Kelleher will once again start between the posts for the Reds as Alisson recovers from his hamstring injury.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arne Slot Reveals Why Diogo Jota Won't Play vs. Arsenal.
