Arne Slot reveals key Liverpool player is a doubt for Bournemouth clash

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has revealed that Alisson is a doubt for the side’s upcoming Premier League clash with Bournemouth due to a muscle injury.

Alisson has started all four of Liverpool’s top-flight matches this season and played the full 90 minutes of the Merseyside giants’ 3-1 victory over AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The 31-year-old goalkeeper complained of a muscle issue prior to the win but played through the discomfort as goals from Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai got Liverpool’s European campaign off to the perfect start at the San Siro.

Caoimhin Kelleher will likely deputise for Alisson between the sticks should the Brazilian be ruled out of the Reds’ encounter with Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

Alisson was sidelined for 12 days with a muscular problem midway through last season before a hamstring injury saw the shot-stopper miss almost two months of action from mid-February through to April.

‘Alisson is a doubt to see if he can train today and if he can’t, then he will probably not play,’ Slot told reporters at his pre-match press conference this morning.

‘We will have to wait and see.’

Slot refused to rule Alisson out of this weekend’s contest but indicated that Liverpool were reluctant to rush the Brazil international back too soon and risk further injury.

‘He has a slight issue with one of his muscles. We wonder if this game tomorrow is coming too early or not,’ the Dutchman added.

‘He didn’t do it in the Milan game, he felt it before and then he felt it more and more.

‘Now we have to see if he’s ready for the weekend.’

Liverpool suffered their first setback of the season last time out in the Premier League as a stunning Callum Hudson-Odoi goal consigned Slot’s men to a 1-0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest.

‘There were more things that we weren’t happy about than all the other games we’ve played,’ Slot explained.

‘I prefer to play against a low block actually as you have more ball possession.’

According to Slot, Liverpool’s players must ‘do better’ in all aspects of their game to ensure fans ‘get behind the team’ as they look to bounce back from their disappointing loss to Forest.

‘My only protestation was about how we played, we as a team have to be aware that fans need something to get behind the team and I don’t think we did that enough,’ he continued.

‘If we don’t show up enough maybe that can help us if it looks like it might not be our day, but I like to look at ourselves – if we do better than the fans will enjoy what they see.

‘It starts with us doing better tomorrow. But maybe the fans can give us an extra push.’

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