Sixteen players could miss Liverpool vs Chelsea as major injury update imminent

Arne Slot is waiting for an update on the fitness of his Liverpool players ahead of the Premier League clash against Manchester United

Liverpool are back in action on Saturday lunchtime with the Premier League visit of Chelsea. And the Reds are still waiting to discover exactly who they can call upon for the game against a team on a six-match losing streak in the top flight.

Alexander Isak became Liverpool’s latest absentee when he sat out Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at Manchester United with a minor groin problem which Arne Slot is hopeful will result in only a brief spell on the sidelines.

The big question for the Reds is whether Alisson Becker is able to return having missed the last eight games with a hamstring problem. With Giorgi Mamardashvili still out recovering from a nasty wound to his knee, third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman is on standby to again deputise between the sticks.

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Mohamed Salah is expected to remain unavailable after missing the Old Trafford clash with the hamstring problem that forced him to limp out of the win at Crystal Palace the previous weekend, although Liverpool anticipate him to be back in action before he departs at the end of the season.

Hugo Ekitike faces a long period of rehabilitation after undergoing surgery last month on the Achilles tendon rupture suffered against Paris Saint-Germain.

Conor Bradley is out for the season after a knee operation in January, while teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni is also missing until the summer following ACL surgery in September.

Wataru Endomeanwhile, is continuing to recover from an ankle operation he underwent in February and is edging nearer a return to full training. Youngsters Stefan Bajcetic and Jayden Dance haven’t featured in the Premier League this season and are unlikely to do so.

For Chelsea, Estevao and Jamie Gittens are out while goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and teenage winger Jesse Derry could be missing after being forced off during the 3-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Monday with nasty head injuries.

There are also doubts over Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho, who were absent against Forest due to fitness concerns. Mykhailo Mudryk is now 18 months into a four-year drugs ban imposed by the Football Association against which he is appealing.