Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp announced on Wednesday that keeper Alisson Becker and striker Diogo Jota will be sidelined for a while after both sustained injuries in a 1-1 draw at Manchester City.
Jota, 26, of Portugal, was forced out in the 54th minute at the Etihad Stadium, while Alisson, 31, of Brazil, appeared to suffer a hamstring injury late in Saturday’s encounter but finished it.
“Both are out,” Klopp revealed ahead of Thursday’s Europa League match against LASK. “Ali is a bit weaker, so we’ll see.” Not day by day; he will not play tomorrow, Sunday, or the following week. Then everything should be OK.
“Diogo will require a little more time. We don’t know how long it will last, but it will be more severe. We’ll have to wait and see.
“Alisson is not as bad (as we thought), but still bad enough.”
Following the match against Austria, Liverpool has three Premier League games in six days, starting at home against Fulham and then travelling to Sheffield United and Crystal Palace.
Alisson is likely to be available for the visit of Manchester United to Anfield on December 17.
After a disappointing downturn in form last season, the Reds are only two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal and look primed to fight for the title once more.
The onus will be on stand-in custodian Caoimhin Kelleher to fill in for Alisson.
Kelleher has only made five appearances this season, three of which have come in the Europa League, and last played back-to-back games in January 2022.
“Now he gets an opportunity that he deserves,” Klopp told reporters. “He would have played tomorrow night anyway, that’s clear, but now he will have a few more games and hopefully he can show his full potential.”
Liverpool, who lost 3-2 in Toulouse earlier this month, would take top spot in Group E with one game remaining if they beat LASK and Ligue 1 side Union Saint-Gilloise fails to win at home against Union Saint-Gilloise.
“Toulouse was maybe a one-off performance-wise,” Klopp told reporters. “It was around Luton (a 1-1 draw), which was also not great, but this was in a very short period of time.”
“Aside from that, the boys usually perform, and that’s what we should focus on.”
“We want to win tomorrow night and we want to win in Belgium as well but if we don’t win tomorrow night the game in Belgium, in a super intense period, will be tough so it’s all about performing tomorrow night and really going for it, that’s the idea.”