Liverpool and Chelsea go into their Premier League meeting with a long list of absences and doubts. The biggest immediate question is whether Alisson can be assessed in time, after missing the last 8 games with a hamstring problem. Mohamed Salah is also among the names being monitored, while Liverpool still have other major issues to manage.

Liverpool still have the biggest selection headache

The clearest concern for Liverpool is still Alisson. He has missed the last 8 games with a hamstring problem, and Arne Slot is waiting for an update on the fitness of his players before the Chelsea fixture. That is a simple enough problem on paper, but it matters because Alisson has made 25 Premier League appearances this season and has remained a key first-choice option when available.

Liverpool are also dealing with other absences. Hugo Ekitiké underwent surgery last month on the Achilles tendon rupture suffered against Paris Saint-Germain, and Conor Bradley is out for the season after a knee operation in January. 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.

There is still no certainty on the rest of Liverpool's fitness picture, and the club are not being treated as fully stocked for this one. Even if Alisson is assessed and Salah is expected back before the end of the season, this remains a side carrying too many moving parts for comfort.

Chelsea are not arriving clean either

Chelsea have their own list of problems. They lost 3-1 at home to Nottingham Forest, and Robert Sanchez and teenage winger Jesse Derry could be missing after being forced off in that game with head injuries. Their last five Premier League results are all losses, and they are ninth in the league, so the pressure around this fixture is not only coming from the Liverpool side.

The wider picture is a club still trying to steady itself while dealing with availability issues across the squad. Estêvão is among the names in the frame, but Chelsea's immediate concern is whether enough players are fit to make the trip without another reshuffle.

The other subplot sits away from the teamsheet. Mykhailo Mudryk is now 18 months into a four-year drugs ban imposed by the Football Association against which he is appealing. That is a source-reported detail rather than a settled end point, but it is part of the background around Chelsea's current outlook.

The result is a Premier League meeting shaped as much by fitness news as by football. Liverpool's main hope is getting Alisson closer to availability, while Chelsea are still trying to stop their own injury problems from stacking up again.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 7 outlets. How we work →