After more than two months out due to injury, Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson is set to return to action for Liverpool. Fully recovered from his injury, Alisson is now eagerly awaiting his return to the pitch, with the upcoming Champions League match offering the perfect opportunity. Liverpool manager Jürgen Slot believes the Brazilian goalkeeper is ready to start.
On Tuesday, Liverpool will face Spanish club Girona in the Champions League. Alisson has been included in the squad for the match.
Alisson suffered a hamstring injury in early October during a Premier League match against Crystal Palace. He was forced to leave the field in the 79th minute of that game, and has been sidelined ever since. During his absence, Irish goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher impressed with his performances, and Slot was quick to praise him. At the pre-match press conference ahead of the Girona fixture, Slot expressed his relief at having Alisson back.
“He’s fit. It’s great to have him back and ready to play,” Slot said. “But it won’t be easy to top the performances we’ve seen from his replacement. So, we expect the same level of performance, or maybe even better. Kelleher has been excellent. We can say we have two top goalkeepers who can do the job for us.”
Slot also emphasized Alisson’s importance, saying, “But Alisson has been performing so outstandingly for the club over the years that we expect him to continue doing the same in the coming weeks and months.”
So far this season, Kelleher has played 12 matches for Liverpool across all competitions, keeping clean sheets in half of them, including key wins in the Champions League against Real Madrid and in the Premier League against Manchester City. However, Kelleher made a costly mistake in Liverpool’s most recent match against Newcastle United, which ended in a 3-3 draw.
Slot had previously confirmed that Alisson would return to the starting role once fully fit. For the Champions League match against Girona, the manager may choose to start Alisson to maintain Liverpool’s perfect record in the competition.
Before departing for Spain, Alisson trained with the team on Monday. He shared a photo on Instagram while on the plane, expressing his excitement: “Feels great to be back.”
Meanwhile, Diogo Jota, who has been sidelined since October 20, also trained with the team on Monday. However, Slot has not included the Portuguese forward in the 19-man squad for the Girona match. Italian forward Federico Chiesa is also absent due to illness.
Liverpool, currently top of the Premier League, are also leading the Champions League, having won all five of their matches so far.
