Arne Slot delivers Federico Chiesa injury update before Liverpool’s clash with Palace

Liverpool manager Arne Slot delivers an update on the fitness of Federico Chiesa ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has delivered an update on the fitness of Federico Chiesa ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The summer signing from Juventus has experienced a disrupted start to his time on Merseyside and was missing from the squad to face Bologna in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Chiesa – who has played just 78 minutes across three matches for Liverpool this season – picked up an unspecified injury before that 2-0 win, the severity of which has not been disclosed by the club.

Still waiting to make his first start in the Premier League, the 26-year-old was an unused substitute against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, and his availability for Saturday is still up in the air.

Speaking to reporters in his pre-game press conference, Slot confirmed that Chiesa had arrived for training on Friday morning, but he would still need to wait and see whether the Italian is able to practice.

Liverpool’s Chiesa still doubtful for Palace clash
© Imago

“[It’s] wait and see. He didn’t train for the last two days. He came in today to see if he could train and if he can I still have a decision to make because we can only select 20 [players] and he hasn’t trained for a few days,” Slot said.

“But first of all, we have to wait and see if he can even train – and if he can then it’s our decision if we bring him to the game or not.”

Chiesa is just one of two injury concerns for Liverpool to contend with for the clash with Palace, as Harvey Elliott remains out with a broken foot and is unlikely to return before the end of the month.

All of Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Andy Robertson overcame recent afflictions to feature in the win over Bologna, though, where Mohamed Salah made yet more history in a Liverpool shirt.

By curling in a delightful second, the Egyptian became the first-ever Liverpool player to score in five straight Champions League home matches, but his contract situation remains an unwelcome distraction.

Slot gives “boring” answer to triple contract question
© Imago

As things stand, Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk can all leave for free in 2025, and barely a single press conference goes by without Slot being pressed for an update.

However, the Dutchman had no news to share on the trio’s situations, saying: “It’s the same boring answer as always, I could really understand it if you asked me once every two weeks but if you ask me this after two, three days again, you still get the same answer.”

Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk are all expected to start for Liverpool once again in the 12.30pm kickoff against Palace, where the former could set yet another new record.

The Egyptian has netted in all three Premier League away games so far this season, and he could be the first man to do so in a team’s first four Premier League away matches on more than one occasion, having already achieved the feat in the 2021-22 campaign.

Liverpool are one point clear of Manchester City and Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table and will therefore open up an unassailable four-point lead – at least for a couple of hours – by beating the Eagles at Selhurst Park.

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