Liverpool’s recent return to winning ways against Aston Villa was tempered by ongoing injury concerns to key players, including two major summer signings, placing further pressure on manager Arne Slot ahead of critical encounters with Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Record signing striker Alexander Isak continues to be managed carefully after suffering a groin injury during the Champions League win over Frankfurt. Slot has consistently expressed caution regarding the Swedish international’s fitness, linking the issue to his disjointed pre-season preparation.
Slot stated: “Alexander had to go off at half-time because he felt his groin a little bit. That’s a pity… I’ve said many times it is such a difficult balance to find with a player that missed three months.”
Isak was subsequently ruled out of the Villa game, and his return date remains officially unknown, though Slot stated he was 99.9% certain to miss the weekend’s fixture.
Meanwhile, right-back Jeremie Frimpong is facing his second spell on the sidelines this season with a hamstring issue, also sustained against Frankfurt.
Reports indicate the Dutchman is expected to be out for approximately six weeks. This timeline means Frimpong will miss the decisive run of games leading up to December.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker is also still unavailable, recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in September.
Ahead of the Brentford match, Slot confirmed, “Alisson is not in the squad tomorrow. That’s also going to take a little bit longer.”
The Brazilian is expected to return sometime in November, though the fixtures against Real Madrid and Manchester City may come too soon.