2 out, 4 doubts – Arne Slot admits “a few issues” for Liverpool vs. Chelsea

Liverpool’s squad is back at the AXA following the international break, but Arne Slot has hinted his side have “got a few issues” ahead of Chelsea‘s visit on Sunday.

The Reds are finally back in action this weekend, with first meeting fourth in the Premier League as Slot’s side contest the first of seven Games in just three weeks.

Alisson had already been ruled out until after the November international break, after the latest hamstring injury he picked up at Crystal Palace, but the Liverpool boss hinted at other issues.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning, Slot said: “We’ve got quite [a few] issues from players coming back from the national teams.

“We can only judge that perfectly today because it is the first time they are all in, and the first time they are all training together again.

“Let’s see after the session where everybody is.

“Macca missed one game, played the second one. Kostas missed out in the first game against England. I can name them all but we’ve got a few issues going on, but let’s wait and see.”

From international exploits and absences, we can safely assume the players in question.

Wataru Endo is one after missing Japan’s Game against Australia with illness, while Kostas Tsimikas played only eight minutes in total for Greece after missing the England Game, also with illness.

They will both be in doubt, but the expectation is that the left-back will be available having featured for his country on Sunday.

Alexis Mac Allister had his adductor issue managed by Argentina, missing their first game before playing 66 minutes in what was the early hours of Wednesday morning in the UK.

He ought to be ready to feature on Sunday, but Liverpool will want to monitor the midfielder closely as they cannot afford to take risks when their schedule sees them play a game every three days.

There was no update on Federico Chiesa, meanwhile, after missing the two games before the break, meaning Liverpool head into Sunday’s game with four players in doubt and two confirmed absences.

Hopefully, there are no surprises when it comes to the issues Slot spoke of.

Alisson and Harvey Elliott are sidelined with injury, though the latter made a big step in his recovery earlier this week with a return to running on the outdoor pitches.