Arne Slot delivered one piece of good news for Liverpool fans after chastening Carabao Cup exit | OneFootball

Positives are few and far between for Liverpool right now, but Arne Slot managed to find one after tonight’s Carabao Cup exit.

A much-changed Reds line-up succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace, with the Premier League champions now losing six of their last seven games in all competitions and out of the running for one trophy this season.

It’s been a chastening month for LFC, to put it mildly, although their cause hasn’t been helped by injuries to Alisson Becker, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong, Curtis Jones and (in the much longer-term) Giovanni Leoni.

Slot provides Gravenberch injury update

Slot did manage to provide one piece of good news for Liverpool fans when speaking to the media after the Carabao Cup loss to the Eagles, hinting that the Dutch midfielder is in line to return in time to face Aston Villa on Saturday.

When asked for an update on the availability of the injured players ahead of that fixture, the Reds boss replied (via liverpoolfc.com): “I think Ryan has a good chance. The other ones are going to be… let’s wait and see tomorrow and Friday.

“I don’t know [about] all of them but I think Ryan has the best chance from all of them.”

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Gravenberch return would be most welcome for Liverpool

Gravenberch has missed Liverpool’s last three matches after twisting his ankle in the recent defeat to Manchester United, although the composition of tonight’s starting XI and substitutes would suggest that he’d have been given the night off even if he were fully fit.

Considering that there had been initial projections of a potential six-week layoff for the 23-year-old, to have him back within a fortnight would be a much-needed boost for the Reds, especially if Jones doesn’t recover in time for the Aston Villa game.

Although the onset of LFC’s alarming slump pre-dates the Dutchman’s injury, he’s unquestionably been an unwelcome loss, especially given some of his brilliant performances this season to follow on from an outstanding 2024/25 campaign.

Gravenberch’s return for Saturday is timely for Liverpool amid their ongoing woes, and Slot will be keeping his fingers crossed that some of his other absent players might just be available to take on Unai Emery’s in-form outfit at the weekend.

Right now, the Reds would gladly appreciate every bit of good news they can get.