Arne Slot explains why the pair missed the trip to Istanbul as the Reds prepare for their Champions League last-16 opener.
Liverpool head into their Champions League round of 16 first leg against Galatasaray in Istanbul without Alisson Becker and Federico Chiesa, after head coach Arne Slot confirmed both players missed the trip due to late fitness issues.
The Reds travelled to Turkey on Monday ahead of Tuesday night’s tie, but two senior squad members were absent following problems that emerged in the final training session before departure.
Chiesa was unable to train after falling ill the previous evening, ruling him out of contention for the European fixture.
“Federico was also not in the session, he felt unwell last night, so that’s why he wasn’t training with us today and not travelling with us,” Slot explained during his pre-match press conference.
Goalkeeper Alisson’s absence came as more of a surprise after he initially took part in the session before Liverpool flew to Istanbul.
“Ali, of course, was in the session – as many people could see – but unfortunately he felt something towards the end of the session,” Slot said.
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“And it was, how do you say this… people looked at it and we decided and he decided together that it wasn’t good enough to play tomorrow. And then it’s of no use travelling.”
Despite the setback, Slot suggested the issue is not expected to keep the Brazilian out for long, with Liverpool hopeful he could return for Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Tottenham Hotspur.
“There’s definitely a chance, yeah, because we don’t expect it to be a big thing,” the Dutch coach added. “But it was too much to be available for tomorrow.”
Florian Wirtz injury update
There was more encouraging news elsewhere in the squad, with Florian Wirtz back in action last Friday in the FA Cup victory over Wolves. A back injury had forced the German to miss Liverpool’s previous two matches, but after coming on in the 70th minute at Molineux, Wirtz now appears ready for a bigger role in Istanbul.
Slot also seemed happy that he now has greater flexibility with his defensive selections, particularly at right-back which has been a major headache for the Dutchman this season.
“I think I have played five or six different players in that position this season,” he said. “Dominik [Szoboszlai] is one of them, he’s done in general in almost all of the games really well, but he’s played also really well in the midfield. So, the good thing for me is I have choices to make and that has not been happening a lot this season.”