Champions League: Liverpool Suffer Jota Injury Blow Ahead Lille Clash

Liverpool are expected to be without Diogo Jota, and Joe Gomez for their Champions League clash against Lille at Anfield on Tuesday.

The Reds return to European action against in-form Lille, who are unbeaten in their last 21 games in all competitions.

Slot’s men have been on an impressive run in the Champions League this season, winning all their six matches to sit comfortably on top of the log.

A win for Liverpool will all but confirm their place in the next round of the competition, while Lille will be hoping for a stunning win to move up the on table from their eighth position.

Slot has confirmed that the duo of Diogo Jota, and Joe Gomez are out of the encounter, and they will be out of action for weeks.

He said: “I’ve said many times before that the last stage of rehab is the most difficult one, or the one that sometimes [can] add a few days or not. It’s clear that we are expecting them to be back with us in the upcoming weeks.

“It is always difficult to say exactly how long it is. Both of them are not going to be out for months, that’s for sure, as long as the rehab goes as planned.”

The Dutch manager also admitted that he is impressed with Lille’s performances in the Champions League.

He said: “I’m impressed, not surprised but impressed. Not surprised because I think it was two or three years ago I played [against] the current manager when he was at Rennes, with my former club.

“I was impressed by the way his team played. Yes, of course, a few weeks ago when I didn’t see them playing yet, I was like, ‘Oh, they beat Atletico Madrid, surprise; they beat Real Madrid, surprise. But now of course, I saw many games of them and now I’m definitely not surprised anymore but impressed, because they’ve deserved every single point they got until now.

Slot also opened up on the demand he made on Trent Alexander-Arnold in the summer.

He said: “Trent is the best player in the world when he is down the line. His crosses are incredible.

“He is good centrally – we saw this with the England team – but he’s special on the side.

“When we started to work together, I also emphasised a bit on his defensive work.

“He had to keep producing the numbers in assisting goals, but if we wanted to be a team that concedes less shots, he had to improve a bit in defending.

“And I have shown him that he’s able to do so if he puts enough effort in. Sometimes, like the [Manchester] United game, which was an exception this season, he seems to lack a bit of effort in some moments. But if he’s at the top of his game, he’s a very good defender as well.

Alexander-Arnold has been linked with a move to Real Madrid in the January transfer window.

Slot has guided Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table in his first season, few months after replacing Jürgen Klopp in the summer.

Champions League: Liverpool Suffer Jota Injury Blow Ahead Lille Clash is first published on The Whistler Newspaper