Alisson could make his Liverpool return against Girona in the Champions League at Montilivi on Tuesday night after Arne Slot confirmed that he is ready to start again.
The Brazilian goalkeeper has not played since sustaining a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace at the start of October. But he completed training on Monday morning, flew to Spain with the team and the Liverpool head coach suggested that he could start, saying that the difference he makes “speaks for itself”, even though it would be difficult to improve on the performances of his deputy Caoimhín Kelleher over the past two months. Slot also said he would pick as strong a side as possible, even though Liverpool have a five-point cushion in their push to qualify directly for the last 16 of the restructured Champions League.
“So happy to be back,” Alisson wrote on social media as he boarded the plane bound for Girona.
Asked if Alisson was available to begin the game, Slot replied: “Yes, he is. If you can play with Alisson that has been so outstanding for so many years for Liverpool and for the Brazil national team, it speaks for itself really. It is nice to have him back and available. But if you look at how his replacement did, it is not easy to do better. Caoimhín did so well so we can say that we have two great goalkeepers that can both do the job for us. For so many years [Alisson] has been so outstanding, so we are expecting him to do the same for the next few months.”
Despite Alisson’s injury, Liverpool have gone more than seven hours without conceding in the Champions League and are closing in on a club record in Europe. “Maybe that is to do with the [competition] setup, but it is definitely to do with the quality,” Slot said. “The goalkeepers have done so well: Caoimhín and also Alisson, who played two games. But it is not just the last line and the goalkeepers.”
The Liverpool head coach said he would continue to field his strongest XI, with the intention of finishing in the top eight, qualifying as a top seed and avoiding an extra playoff round, although he admitted that the practical implications of doing so are still unsure. The advantages for Liverpool’s title chase are also uncertain, with Slot backing Arsenal and Manchester City to also finish in the top eight. The postponement of the Merseyside derby, which the coach described as a “good decision because it’s a special game and the last one [at Goodison] has to be played in good circumstances”, also means there is less urgency to rest players.
“Everyone is fit, there is no need to rotate because we skipped Saturday. We will start like we have all the other games, with a very good team tomorrow,” Slot said. “Of course it seems to be good to finish in the top eight but we can [only] judge at the end of the season. We are trying to finish as high as possible to skip the next round. If that means playing starters always and then getting a difficult draw maybe we will think about it differently next season. We will have to see where it leaves us. But we want to stay in the top eight so we think we still need a win and the first chance is tomorrow night.
“It could be [an advantage in the league to avoid two extra European games], but if we end up in the top eight I assume they will as well,” Slot said. “Arsenal 95%. City maybe have to do a bit more but they can win three in a row so they will be top eight. You never know if it is an advantage.
“We have played very well [playing] every three days: maybe we should implement some friendly games if we do qualify [directly for the last 16]. No, it’s a joke. We are pushing hard to have that top eight to have the best possible seeding but definitely also to skip that round.”
