Liverpool have been given an unexpected period of rest amid a hectic fixture schedule following the postponement of their match against Everton.
The leaders were due to make the short trip across Stanley Park on Saturday for the final Premier League Merseyside derby to be held at Goodison, only for the game to be called off around four hours before kick-off on safety grounds due to the adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Darragh.
Such a postponement was either a pain or a blessing in disguise depending on your outlook, with Liverpool having been set to be without the suspended Alexis Mac Allister against Everton in addition to an injury list that has extended to include six names.
Instead, a new date will have to be found for that fixture in the New Year and Arne Slot’s Reds have now had some extra time to recuperate following their thrilling six-goal draw at Newcastle before they continue their impressive Champions League campaign against Girona in Spain on Tuesday evening.
Fulham then visit Anfield at the weekend, before Liverpool head to Southampton in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. It’s then Tottenham, Leicester and West Ham to close out 2024, with Manchester United lurking in their first game of the New Year. Here’s all the latest Liverpool injury news and return dates.
Alisson
Liverpool have been without their first-choice goalkeeper since he limped out of the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on October 5.
Alisson was ruled out for a number of weeks with a hamstring injury and has ended up missing the last 11 matches across all competitions.
No2 Caoimhin Kelleher has mostly deputised impressively in his absence, though made a crucial mistake for Newcastle’s last-gasp equaliser in midweek.
Alisson recently explained that it has taken him longer to recover due to the delicate nature of a tendon issue, though Slot confirmed before the postponed Everton game that the Brazilian was “not ready yet, but will be ready very soon.”
Alisson was seen taking part in training drills on Friday and it remains to be seen if he will be included in the squad to face Girona on Tuesday. If not, then he will surely be involved when Fulham visit Anfield at the weekend.
Potential return date: Tuesday December 10, vs Girona or Saturday December 14, vs Fulham
Diogo Jota
Diogo Jota last played for Liverpool in their 2-1 win over Chelsea on October 12, having suffered a chest injury after being accidentally landed on by Tosin Adarabioyo.
He has missed 10 matches in a row, but like Alisson is set to make his return to action very soon and was also seen taking some part in training at Kirkby on Friday.
“Diogo Jota is close to being back,” Slot said in his pre-Everton press conference.
Potential return date: Tuesday December 10, vs Girona or Saturday December 14, vs Fulham
Federico Chiesa
It has been a frustrating start to his Liverpool career for Federico Chiesa, the club’s lone summer signing who has only made three senior appearances since his cut-price £12.5million move from Juventus and none since September.
But the Italian winger has been building up his fitness for a while now and started and scored for the Reds’ Under-21 side in their Premier League International Cup defeat by Danish team FC Nordsjaelland on Wednesday, playing for 60 minutes in total.
Slot then said of Chiesa before the postponed Everton match: “Federico is close to being back.”
Like Alisson and Jota, it seems likely that Chiesa will return to the squad either against Girona or Fulham, provided he suffers no further setbacks.
Potential return date: Tuesday December 10, vs Girona or Saturday December 14, vs Fulham
Ibrahima Konate
Liverpool are currently without first-choice centre-back Ibrahima Konate, who limped off after the 2-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid, leaving Joe Gomez to deputise alongside captain Virgil van Dijk against both Manchester City and Newcastle.
The French defender hurt his knee following a challenge from Endrick and has since undergone further assessment, with Slot expecting him to be sidelined for a few weeks.
It remains to be seen exactly when Konate will be in a position to return, but Liverpool will hope he is able to play a part over the busy festive period.
Potential return date: Late December
Conor Bradley
Conor Bradley was also injured in the game against Real Madrid, having performed brilliantly in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back.
It is a hamstring injury for the Northern Ireland captain, which reports have stated could keep him out until the New Year.
“They will both be out for a few weeks,” Slot said of Konate and Bradley last week.
“I have said many times before, it's always difficult to judge how many weeks this exactly is because you can think in the beginning it'll be like this and then the end stage of an injury process can always differ a bit.”
Potential return date: January
Kostas Tsimikas
Greek full-back Kostas Tsimikas has missed the last couple of weeks for Liverpool with an ankle injury sustained in training.
Slot has not said when exactly he expects him back, though did say he wouldn’t be with them over the next busy week coming up, putting Tsimikas in line for a return later in December.
Potential return date: Late December
Alexis Mac Allister
Mac Allister was supposed to serve a one-match Premier League suspension against Everton after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season at Newcastle.
However, that match being postponed means he will now serve that ban against Fulham instead. The Argentine midfielder was already suspended for the meeting with Girona after collecting three bookings in the Champions League.
It means Mac Allister will not be back in contention for Liverpool now until they head to St Mary’s to face Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on December 18.
Return date: Wednesday December 18, vs Southampton
