Arne Slot has confirmed one star will be injured for the Chelsea game at the weekend, after a difficult evening for the Liverpool boss.
The Reds' Champions League campaign hit a bump on Tuesday as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Galatasaray in Istanbul, making it two losses on the bounce for Slot's side - just the second time this has occurred during his tenure.
Victor Osimhen's first-half penalty proved the difference in a hostile atmosphere at RAMS Park, where the home crowd created a tsunami of noise that seemed to disrupt the visitors.
The Liverpool boss admitted afterwards that his team had been "out-smarted" by their opponents, particularly in the build-up to the crucial spot-kick.
Victor Osimhen scored an early penalty for the hosts after Dominik Szoboszlai's flailing arm caught Baris Yilmaz in the face | REUTERS"They make a 20 per cent penalty a 100 per cent penalty, which is very smart from them," Slot told Amazon Prime, acknowledging how Galatasaray had cleverly won the decision that changed the match.
It's a result that will have Liverpool fans worried as their team heads into a tough weekend fixture against Chelsea.
"We are not so far [off the level shown last season]. This is sometimes what the schedule can bring, Galatasaray is not a simple game. We now play Chelsea away, a difficult game," the boss continued.
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Dominik Szoboszlai gave away the penalty in the first half
|REUTERS
"The margains are small and they were last season. For the second time in a row we are on the wrong side.
"I saw a lot of things in the first half, but the second half was much less.
"I don't think in the second half there was a lot of playing time, their striker was on the floor four or five times. It was difficult to get momentum in the game."
He couldn't fault Dominik Szoboszlai for the penalty incident, where the Hungarian's trailing hand caught Baris Alper Yilmaz in the face.
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"I cannot blame Dominik Szoboszlai for the situation," Slot insisted, though he clearly felt the hosts had made the most of minimal contact.
The injury blow came when Alisson hurt himself making a save from Osimhen in the second half, forcing an early exit for the Brazilian keeper.
Slot confirmed the worst fears when speaking to Amazon Prime after the match.
"It's never positive if you go off like this," the Liverpool boss said about his goalkeeper's condition.
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Alisson left the field with an injury in the second half, with Arne Slot confirming he will miss a crucial game against Chelsea this weekend
|REUTERS
"You can be sure he is not playing Saturday."
It means Liverpool will be without their first-choice keeper for the crucial Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
The injury happened after Alisson had pulled off an impressive stop to deny Osimhen a second goal, but the goalkeeper appeared to hurt himself in the process.
His replacement, Giorgi Mamardashvili, came on to make his Liverpool Champions League debut in difficult circumstances.
Slot's decision to leave Mohamed Salah on the bench raised eyebrows, with the Egyptian superstar watching from the sidelines as Liverpool struggled to break down their Turkish opponents.
The manager brought on Salah alongside Alexander Isak just after the hour mark, hoping the pair could rescue something from the match.
But even the introduction of Liverpool's talismanic forward couldn't spark a turnaround in Istanbul.
Slot had made four changes from the Crystal Palace defeat, with Jeremie Frimpong taking Salah's place in the starting 11.
It was a bold call that didn't pay off, as Liverpool lacked cutting edge in attack throughout.
The visitors thought they'd won a late penalty when Ibrahima Konaté went down in the box, but VAR intervened to overturn the decision.