Liverpool star Alisson is a doubt for the next few fixtures after picking up an injury.
Arne Slot has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water with Liverpool sitting top of the pile after six wins from their opening seven games. Their title credentials will be tested this weekend as they host free-scoring, fourth-placed Chelsea who are coming off the back of a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest – the only side Liverpool have dropped points to all season.
But injuries are mounting for all clubs in the Premier League. In Liverpool’s last Premier League game, a win against Crystal Palace, Alisson was forced off with an injury, giving Vitezslav Jaros his first-team debut with Caoimhin Kelleher out with a virus.
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Alisson, and Liverpool’s defence, has been key to Liverpool’s strong start to the season with five clean sheets already this season.
The Brazilian had missed Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth due to a muscle injury but came back into the side for a win over Wolves before the injury against Crystal Palace, with Head Coach Arne Slot giving an update after the game.
Slot said: "The latest is that we don't know but what we do know is that if a player walks off like he did, that normally means that he is not in the Brazil squad and I don't expect him to be in the team in the first game we play after [the international break].
"We have to wait and see, but it is going to take a few weeks I assume for him to be back. I think it is [his hamstring]."
Slot’s comments suggest that Alisson will not be involved at all in Liverpool’s match against Chelsea, with Kelleher expected to start, following the Irishman’s mistake in a 2-0 loss against Greece over the international break.
Slot gave Kelleher his backing after the Crystal Palace game stating: “It is quite clear then that he [Kelleher] is the number two, otherwise, the last time Alisson was injured I would have played Vit [Jaros], but I played Caoimhin. So Caoimhin is the number two and did really well."
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Kelleher performed well against Bournemouth earlier in the season, as well as playing most of the Reds pre-season games, adapting well to Slot’s system with composed distribution and reliable shot-stopping.
It remains to be seen if Alisson will play any games before November’s international break, with Liverpool playing seven times before then.