Liverpool will be without their first-choice goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, for their upcoming Premier League match against Chelsea. The Brazilian sustained an injury during Liverpool's 1-0 Champions League defeat to Galatasaray in Istanbul.
Alisson was forced off the field after making a save in the second half. He was replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili, who made his Champions League debut after appearing in the Carabao Cup against Southampton.
Liverpool's manager, Arne Slot, confirmed that Alisson would not be available for the Chelsea game. Speaking to Amazon Prime, Slot said, "It's never positive if you go off like this. You can be sure he is not playing Saturday".
This injury compounds Liverpool's recent setback, as they also lost their 100% Premier League record in a defeat against Crystal Palace. The loss against Galatasaray was riddled with errors, adding to Slot's frustration. Slot expressed his disappointment, stating, "Again, disappointed. For me, this was a different performance on and off the ball. First half we played quite well and had a big chance to go 1-0 up". He also alluded to tactical awareness, saying, "We are sometimes a bit out-smarted in situations like this… they make a 20 per cent penalty a 100 per cent penalty, which is very smart from them".
Looking ahead to the Chelsea match, Slot acknowledged the difficulty of the fixture, stating, "We now play Chelsea away, a difficult game". He also pointed out the narrow margins in recent games, adding, "The margins are small and they were last season. For the second time in a row we are on the wrong side".
Despite the recent setbacks, Liverpool has shown a strong scoring record, having scored in 40 straight EPL matches. However, Chelsea will be missing some defensive players, which may make them vulnerable.
The game is predicted to be competitive. One source predicts Liverpool to score over 1.5 goals. Another source predicts that Chelsea will win 1-0.
This will be a challenging match for Liverpool as they look to bounce back from two successive defeats and cope with the absence of their key goalkeeper.
