Liverpool: Arne Slot confirms huge double injury blow ahead of Chelsea clash | OneFootball

Liverpool lost two key players to injury in Champions League defeat

Arne Slot has confirmed that Alisson Becker is expected to miss Liverpool’s trip to Chelsea after the goalkeeper was forced off injured in the Reds’ 1-0 defeat by Galatasaray.

The Brazilian was withdrawn early in the second half, replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili, as the Premier League champions were beaten by a Victor Osimhen penalty at RAMS Park in Istanbul.

The cause of Alisson’s injury is still unknown, and to rub further salt in the Merseysiders’ wounds, new signing Hugo Ekitike was also subbed off hurt later in the game as the Reds chased an elusive equaliser.

Speaking to Amazon Prime after the game, Slot said that it was “never positive” for two key players to be forced off with injuries.

"It's never positive if you go off like this," the Dutchman said on his goalkeeper. "You can be sure he is not playing Saturday.”

Speaking to reporters later, Slot added: “When [Alisson] sprinted back he felt something. I cannot tell you [exactly] because I am not a physio, but normally when a player when he sprints back, feels something, goes to the floor and doesn't come back onto the pitch [it’s not good].

"If my player is on the floor, I nine out of 10 times fear the worst - and by the worst I mean he cannot continue. That’s what happened with Alisson.

"Normally, he will not be able to play Saturday. That's 99.9 per cent - I've already said 100 per cent, but let's make it 99.9 [although] I think it's 100."

Slot was also downbeat on Ekitike’s fitness, though left the door open for a quicker return to action. He said: "He felt something when he had to reach for the ball,” added Slot. “I think we all know which one it was when we were trying to force something.

"I think at that moment in time, on the other side there was someone on the floor as well, so the referee blew his whistle and I wasn’t even thinking we had an injury, but Hugo felt something.

"After the game, that’s always the difficult thing with these moments when players feel like it is not too bad, but when you just walk around it is something different than when you make a sprint or have to shoot on target.

"He said he couldn’t continue so we had to take him off. Let’s see how he is for the weekend."

Liverpool suffered their second straight defeat in Turkey, which followed last weekend’s 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace in the Premier League, but it was the nature of the performance that irked Slot.

“Disappointed,” he said. “For me, this was a different performance on and off the ball [than against Palace]. In the first half we played quite well and had a big chance to go 1-0 up.

"It is difficult to compare this situation to before. We are sometimes a bit out-smarted in situations like this and I cannot blame Dominik Szoboszlai for [conceding the penalty]. They make a 20% penalty a 100% penalty, which is very smart from them.

"We are not so far [off the level shown last season]. This is sometimes what the schedule can bring, Galatasaray is not a simple game. We now play Chelsea away, a difficult game.

"The margins are small and they were last season. For the second time in a row we are on the wrong side.

"I saw a lot of things in the first half, but the second half was much less. I don't think in the second half there was a lot of playing time, their striker was on the floor four or five times. It was difficult to get momentum in the game."