Troubling Marmardashvili injury update as Alisson delay grants Woodman another Liverpool chance | OneFootball

Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was taken straight to hospital after sustaining a gashed knee in the 2-1 victory over Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday – and with Arne Slot providing an update, the club’s third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman now looks set for his full Premier League debut for the club.

Reigning Premier League champions Liverpool have endured a difficult season, having easily surrendered their title crown and falling short in three cup competitions, ensuring they will finish Slot’s second season at the helm trophyless.

With a series of big-money signings failing to capture their best form, and with a group of top stars nearing (in Slot’s words) the “end of the cycle”, their hopes of silverware this season have also been unaided by a somewhat unfortunate injury list.

Having lost star striker Hugo Ekitike for what could be the remainder of the calendar year with a serious ruptured Achilles injury last week, Liverpool’s bad fortune continued on Sunday as Mamardashvili – deputising once again for injured first choice, Alisson Becker – was stretchered off at Everton following a nasty tangle of legs involving Beto and Reds teammate Andy Robertson, as the Toffees striker struck the equaliser.

In an update after the game, Slot admitted to BBC Match of the Day: “It didn’t look great.

“It was a big wound and he went straight to the hospital. Let’s see how that works out for him, but we fear the worst – not for a long-term injury but for next week.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Reds boss added: “He has gone off to hospital.

“It looked to me, and that’s also what they told me, that he had a big wound – an open wound. That’s, of course, not going to be a long-term injury. Let’s see if he is available for next week.

“We’ve had almost, in all positions, our problems and now even two goalkeepers being out.

“So it’s a good thing that we have three goalkeepers, because we usually don’t have three full-backs or three No.9s or three left wingers, and now it happens in a position where we have three players.”

Woodman to start v Crystal Palace as Slot celebrates win at Everton

Prior to the game, Slot had admitted that the club’s undisputed No.1, Alisson, can expect to return “in the final few weeks of the season”, meaning Woodman – who stepped off the bench to help Liverpool claim a 2-1 win – can expect to make his full Premier League debut for the club in Saturday’s home date with Crystal Palace.

By the time Alisson returns, Liverpool could well have already wrapped up Champions League qualification, with Sunday’s win now opening up a seven-point gap to Chelsea in sixth.

Despite the Georgian’s injury, Slot said Liverpool’s players will enjoy Sunday’s triumph over their derby rivals, ensuring they won the first-ever Merseyside derby at their rivals’ new home.

“We are going to enjoy,” Slot beamed. “My staff, my players and me.

“There is no difference between us and the fans; we would have loved to have had a better season than we’ve had. But for obvious reasons, we haven’t, and we saw that today.

“How many times have you had two goalkeepers injured? That has been our season, but we managed to win, and that’s the most important thing.”

On the subject of Alisson, it remains to be seen just how many games he will have left in Liverpool colours.

That’s amid ongoing speculation that a move away could be on the cards this summer, amid claims that the Brazilian has been offered a sizeable three-year deal by one of Italy’s biggest clubs