Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker set to return for Wolverhampton Wanderers clash

LIVERPOOL – Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker will be available for the Sept 28 English Premier League game at Wolverhampton Wanderers, said manager Arne Slot, who was quick to praise his replacement Caoimhin Kelleher and the enviable depth of his squad overall.

Kelleher played in Liverpool’s 3-0 league win over Bournemouth on Sept 21 and the 5-1 League Cup third-round thrashing of West Ham United on Sept 25 while Alisson recovered from a muscle injury.

“We think he is (ready to return),” Slot said of the Brazilian. “He trained yesterday for part of our session. We expect him to do the whole session today.

“We’re really happy, but I want to emphasise we did really well with the two games with (Kelleher). Another example of where we have two or three good options in some positions.”

That leaves midfielder Harvey Elliott as the Reds’ only injury absentee.

Liverpool, second in the league standings, trail champions Manchester City by a point and have just one loss across all competitions in a strong start to Slot’s tenure.

Slot, in the early days of his reign after replacing Jurgen Klopp, said it had been a “good start, but not a perfect one”.

“I think it’s been a positive start, with the small disappointment of losing at home against Nottingham Forest,” the Dutchman said.

“Every home game you lose is a disappointment, especially if it’s not against a team that’s competing for a top-four position, although you never know what Nottingham Forest are going to do this season.”

He added: “The style we play, the way we play, it’s still very close to what you guys were used to for nine years, which is quite normal because we almost have all the same players Jurgen had.

“Keeping the results going is a good thing. Again, I have to mention that the fixture list has been good to us.”

The team’s depth poses some tough questions for the new manager.

Slot rotated the squad against West Ham due to the gruelling match schedule, with Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota staking their claim for more playing time with two goals apiece.

“For me, it says two things,” Slot said of his attacking options. “The players have a lot of quality and the team are always creating chances for the players that are selected for that game.

“Because we have so much quality, we can create assists or goals.”

Slot was able to rest Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai on Sept 25, but the trio are expected to feature against Wolves, who are languishing at the bottom of the table on a single point from five matches.

“I don’t think it represents how they (Wolves) have played, they have had very difficult fixtures and you have to take this into account,” Slot said.

“I’ve watched some of their games, they should have got more than they got. They will be fine at the end of the season.”

Wolves are without defender Yerson Mosquera, who was ruled out for the rest of the season, midfielder Boubacar Traore, winger Enso Gonzalez and striker Sasa Kalajdzic. Defender Toti Gomes is a doubt. REUTERS, AFP