Liverpool certainly didn’t have it all their own way against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, but the Premier League leaders found a way.
A swift second-half turnaround ensured Arne Slot’s Reds departed a raucous Anfield having made the most of Manchester City and Arsenal’s respective defeats at Bournemouth and Newcastle.
In short, it was a bloody good weekend for Liverpool supporters and there’s been good news on the injury front in the aftermath.
Here are the latest Liverpool fitness updates as they prepare to take on Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
An inadvertent stamp from Virgil van Dijk on the arm of his centre-back partner forced Ibrahima Konate off on Saturday and sparked fears over a potential fracture that would keep the France international out of action for quite some time.
Konate was withdrawn at half-time against Brighton with Joe Gomez entering the fray, but the former RB Leipzig defender confirmed on Sunday that scans revealed no break. “I’ll be ready for the next game,” Konate added in an Instagram post.
The towering centre-back is bullish over his chances of playing on Tuesday night, but Slot and the medical team might take a more cautious stance.
Diogo Jota came off second best in a tussle with Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo during Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over the Blues last month, with the useful forward suffering a rib injury that’s set to keep him sidelined until after the November break.
Slot confirmed Jota’s continued absence heading into Saturday’s game but is hopeful the Portugal international will be available for the trip to Southampton on 23 November.
It’s been a frustrating 2024 for Alisson, who’s once again sidelined with a hamstring injury. Liverpool are fortunate they have such a handy back-up in Caoimhin Kelleher, who surely could have left the club in search of greater first-term opportunities in the summer.
Kelleher is once again filling in ably for the Brazilian number one, who won’t be back until after the international break. There’s some doubt as to how long he’ll be out after the November internationals, with the club holding out hope that he’ll be fit for the trip to St Mary’s.
Federico Chiesa has been familiar with niggles and frustrating absences ever since he tore his anterior cruciate ligament at the start of 2022.
Fitness issues plagued the final days of his Juventus career and his Liverpool stint is yet to ignite after he suffered a muscle injury at the start of October.
Slot recently provided a concerning update on his recovery, saying: “Sometimes he’s there with us, trains a few days, and then goes out for injury again.
“I don’t want to put days or weeks on it, because I think we just have to make sure he gets in the best possible shape. I don’t want to put any pressure on him by coming up with dates.”
Who knows when we’ll next see Chiesa in action.
A promising pre-season counted for little when Harvey Elliott’s momentum was disrupted by a foot fracture sustained during the September international break.
The playmaker has been sat on the sidelines since, but he is edging closer to making a comeback. Elliott will remain out up until the November break, but there’s a chance he’s back in the matchday squad for Liverpool’s venture down to the south coast immediately after.
READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP