Liverpool's Alisson Out, Ekitike Doubts Loom as Slot Prepares for Chelsea Clash

Alisson Becker ruled out for Chelsea clash

Liverpool’s Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker will miss this weekend’s highly anticipated clash with Chelsea after sustaining a muscle injury during the 0-1 defeat to Galatasaray in Istanbul in the Champions League.

The Brazil international left the Ramés Park in the 56th minute and was replaced by Georgiy Mamardashvili, who appeared to suffer a muscle issue himself. He is set for further scans in the coming days, and his absence from the Stamford Bridge meeting on Saturday appears likely.

Ekitike's injury and Liverpool's rotation

Slot spoke after the match on Amazon Prime Video, confirming that Alisson’s injury is not positive and that he will not be involved on Saturday.

Alisson has battled injuries in recent seasons, missing large parts of last season between October and December due to a hamstring problem.

Liverpool’s Istanbul night was not only about Alisson; they also conceded a 1-0 defeat to Osimhen’s penalty in the first half, following a foul by Soboszlai.

Hugo Ekitike had to leave the pitch with an injury in the second half. Slot said he felt something while trying to control the ball; players often think it's simple, but running and shooting are different from walking, and Ekitike himself said he couldn't carry on, forcing his substitution. We will await his status for Saturday.

Injuries further deepened Liverpool's woes as they suffered a second consecutive defeat under Slot, following a loss to Crystal Palace in the league last weekend.

Slot admitted frustration: the first half showed a good performance with a real chance to go ahead, but events did not go in their favour.

He also added that sometimes opponents trick teams with smart play, and he did not blame Soboszlai for the penalty; they turned a small chance into a decisive penalty, which they deserved for capitalising on the moment.

On rotation and squad depth, Slot said the team is still close to last season's level, but the schedule is brutal; facing Galatasaray is tough, and Chelsea away now looks even tougher.

He concluded that gaps were small and, as last season showed, they are on the wrong side again. A good first half gave way to a poorer second, with little time to play and Salah substituted for the first time in a big Champions League game since 2022.

Although Liverpool still sit atop the Premier League with five wins from six, the Istanbul defeat has raised questions about their Champions League progress. Hope remains, but signs of regression are evident early this season.

Last season, the team suffered only one two-match losing streak in March as they exited the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain and lost the League Cup final to Newcastle—this season, the challenge is to find balance sooner rather than later.

After splashing 449 million pounds in the transfer market, Slot has pledged to use his squad depth more this season, a move that was one of the reasons for last season's fatigue after relying on a core group.

In Istanbul, Slot shuffled his pack, starting Ekitike alongside other rotated players in place of others who missed pre-season integration. It was also Salah's first omission from a decisive UCL match since 2022 when he came on to score a hat-trick against Rangers.

In the first season, Slot benefited from stability; now the challenge is real as rotation tests cohesion, though he insists the plan is to protect players who did not have a full pre-season.

There is a belief that a large squad can be hard to manage, but Slot faces a real test to balance fitness and consistency going forward.

Punchline 1: If rotation is a strategy, Liverpool must be aiming for a well-balanced hourglass—lots of sand, not much time left on the clock.

Punchline 2: And if you think this squad is big, wait until the trophy cabinet starts planning its own bench press—the trophies might demand a raise in squad depth too.