Liverpool welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield on Saturday in a match that could pose a real challenge for the reigning champions.<\/p>\n
Liverpool fitness outlook ahead of the Seagulls encounter<\/p>\n
In his pre-match press conference, Arne Slot offered important clarity on several fitness concerns following the midweek Champions League victory over Inter Milan.<\/p>\n
Slot confirmed that Federico Chiesa, who missed out due to illness, has now returned to full training.
\n\u201cFederico is feeling better. He trained yesterday and again today, so I expect him to be available for the squad tomorrow,\u201d he said on Friday.<\/p>\n
The news was far less positive for Wataru Endo and Cody Gakpo. Slot admitted both will be out for a while, explaining:
\n\u201cIt\u2019ll take weeks. Cody has a muscle issue and Wata has an ankle injury.\u201d<\/p>\n
The manager also revealed that he is keeping a close eye on Alexander Isak after the physical test in Italy.
\n\u201cAlex took a knock in the first half, so we\u2019ll see how he\u2019s recovered today\u2014whether he can start tomorrow and whether I choose to pair him with Ekitike again or make a different choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Concerns around Isak\u2019s condition follow criticism of his performance at the San Siro, where one analyst noted he \u201cstruggled with the physicality and intensity\u201d of the match.<\/p>\n
With Chiesa returning but Gakpo ruled out and Isak possibly limited, much of the responsibility in attack may fall on Hugo Ekitike.<\/p>\n
And with Mohamed Salah still not fully reintegrated into the side, Liverpool\u2019s forward line could look particularly stretched, making Slot\u2019s selection crucial.<\/p>\n
Salah, Isak and Liverpool\u2019s attacking picture<\/p>\n
Attention naturally turns to whether Salah will be involved before he departs for AFCON duty.
\nSlot confirmed he has yet to hold a full discussion with the winger:
\n\u201cI\u2019ll speak with Mo this morning. The result of that conversation will determine what things look like for Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n
That uncertainty leaves supporters waiting to see whether the Egyptian star will return to the squad or continue to be left out.<\/p>\n
With Chiesa available again and Ekitike ready to step up, Slot\u2019s decisions in managing injuries and attacking options will play a key role in how Liverpool set up against Brighton.<\/p>\n
His approach could prove vital as the Reds aim to maintain their unbeaten run and carry momentum into the busy festive period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Liverpool welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield on Saturday in a match that could pose a real challenge for the reigning champions. Liverpool fitness outlook ahead of the Seagulls encounter In his pre-match press conference, Arne Slot offered important clarity on several fitness concerns following the midweek Champions League victory over Inter Milan. Slot …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":56639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/EOTK-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-4-3.jpg-1.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56638"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56640,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56638\/revisions\/56640"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/56639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}