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Liverpool boss Arne Slot does not expect his squad to look remarkably different this weekend when the Reds face Brighton and Hove Albion for the second time in three days.
The Reds won an entertaining Carabao Cup fourth-round tie 3-2 at the AmEx Stadium in midweek and now host the Seagulls at Anfield as they look to continue their fine start to the league campaign and keep the pressure on Manchester City. After rotating his side for the cup, Slot will likely return to a full-strength XI this time out, but no returning faces are expected, with the likes of Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota and Harvy Elliott all still sidelined through injury.
None of the trio will return before the November international break, with the boss having a clearer idea of their return to play timetable after that point, but the hope is for Italy winger Federico Chiesa to be in a position to be involved with team training during that fortnight, with a view to returning afterwards.
“I think I said it already a few times that it is always difficult to tell you exactly when they are ready [to return] because especially the last phase of the recovery can always be a few days extra or less,” Slot said in his pre-Brighton press conference.
“The fact is that they are not there before the international break and let’s see if they can join us after.
“Chiesa is not back before the international break, but there is only a week to go. We are hoping he can do things again [in training] during the international break and that he can join us afterwards.”
Despite no new faces in the squad, it’s likely Liverpool will have a very different lineup to midweek given there were eight changes.
And one alteration which would mark a difference to previous league fixtures could come at left-back, with Andy Robertson captaining the side midweek but Kostas Tsimikas looking a probable starter against Brighton next time out.
That’s not necessarily a full-time change, Slot hinted, but part of building up the Scot after injury and awarding game time to the Greek in the process.
“It is in more positions where we’ve rotated, so you’re maybe a bit focused on the left full-back position, but the left wing has been in rotation, the midfield we’ve rotated, the No. 9 position we’ve rotated,” Slot explained.
“It probably also has to do with Robbo’s pre-season. He had no pre-season, because he came back injured from the Euros. He missed almost a complete pre-season, which was for most of them only two weeks but for him it was only a few days.
“Kostas did really well in that period of time, so it has to do with the quality Kostas brings in the position, but it definitely also has to do with Robbo missing pre-season.”
Following the Brighton match, Liverpool play Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and Aston Villa in the Premier League ahead of the break.
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