Starting goaltender Alisson Becker had some minor discomfort going on during the last Liverpool training session, and that forced him to miss out on traveling with the rest of the team to Istanbul for the Champions League defeat at Galatasaray. It goes without saying that the Reds could have used him last night, but at least he won’t be out for too long.
Said Reds boss Arne Slot: “Ali, of course, was in the session – as many people could see – but unfortunately, he felt something towards the end of the session, and we decided together that it wasn’t good enough to play tomorrow.”
Liverpool FC vs Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Sunday, March 15, 4:30pm, Anfield, Liverpool, UK
Team News: Liverpool Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League Standing: Liverpool 6th, 48 pts Tottenham 16th, 29 pts
Google Result Probability: Tottenham win 12% Draw 16% Liverpool win 72%
Liverpool Team News
“And then it’s of no use travelling.”
It’s very likely that Alisson could be back in the starting lineup when they host Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Another Liverpool player not making the journey on March 10 to Turkey was the No. 14 Federico Chiesa. The Italian midfielder was battling an illness.
“Federico was not in the session,” Slot said on Monday. “He felt unwell last night, so that’s why he wasn’t training with us today and not travelling with us.” Chiesa could also be back for the weekend league fixture versus Spurs.
Elsewhere Alexander Isak remains out until April while Giovanni Leoni, Wataru Endo and Conor Bradley are out for the season.
Slot is no doubt starting to feel the pressure now, as last night’s UCL loss compounds with the fact that the Reds are outside the top five in the league. Of course, the situation on the opposite touchline, come Sunday, is much much worse.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.