Liverpool manager provides fitness updates on Alisson and Federico Chiesa, as well as Milos Kerkez form
Liverpool are monitoring the fitness of their starting goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, ahead of their Premier League clash with Tottenham on Sunday.
During the pre-match press conference on Friday morning, head coach Arne Slot revealed that the Brazilian international is battling a minor muscle injury sustained during a routine passing drill in training.
The timing of the setback forced Alisson to miss Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League defeat to Galatasaray in Istanbul, and his participation in Sunday’s clash at Anfield remains subject to a late fitness test.
Slot confirmed that while the injury is not considered serious, the rapid succession of fixtures has made the recovery window exceptionally tight.
Liverpool, currently sitting sixth in the table, are desperate to secure Champions League qualification after a disappointing loss to Wolves in their last league outing.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur arrive on Merseyside in the midst of a historic crisis. Spurs have failed to win a single Premier League match in 2026 and currently sit just one point above the relegation zone.
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Giorgi Mamardashvili on standby
Should Alisson fail to complete Friday’s training session, the responsibility will once again fall to Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The Georgian goalkeeper made his Champions League debut for the Reds on Tuesday and drew praise for his composure in a hostile atmosphere, despite the narrow loss.
“[Alisson] has been with the physios and rehab until now and we are training today, so let’s see if he can join today, that is something I expect but not 100 percent sure yet,” Slot explained said.
“He felt something, when he passed the ball, in one of his muscles, but after we checked it, it was so minor, that we think it doesn’t have to take very long… hopefully he’s available and ready for Sunday.”
Slot defends Milos Kerkez after midweek sub
Slot also took time to defend the recent performance and subsequent substitution of full-back Milos Kerkez. The young defender was withdrawn on the hour mark during the midweek clash in Turkey, a move Slot attributed to disciplinary management rather than poor play.
Kerkez had received an early yellow card in a match where the referee was frequently awarding free-kicks, and the coaching staff opted to introduce Andy Robertson to avoid the risk of a second booking.
“Milos didn’t play badly. But he had a problem on a yellow with a referee who gave a lot of free-kicks to Gala,” Slot remarked.
“It was too much of a risk to leave him on… because he is always aggressive in his duels and some teams can be really smart if a player is on a yellow to create an atmosphere where he can get a second.”
