Alisson, Jota, Elliott: Liverpool injury news and expected return dates ahead of Aston Villa clash

Liverpool will push to keep their impressive run of form ticking over this weekend when they welcome Aston Villa to Anfield. The Reds will return to Premier League action following a statement win against Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

Arne Slot was made to wait until after the hour mark for his side to score their first goal but once one went in, the floodgates opened. Luis Díaz got the scoring underway with a wonderful chip and was followed up by a powerful Cody Gakpo header following a pinpoint Mohamed Salah cross.

Díaz secured his first Liverpool hat-trick with another two goals to see out the impressive 4-0 win. Slot opted to start the Colombian in the No.9 position against Leverkusen — a decision that paid dividends. The hot topic surrounding Liverpool’s next match is how the front three will look to face Villa.

While Slot mulls over his options, here’s a round up of the latest player fitness news within the Reds camp, including potential return dates.

Federico Chiesa

Summer signing Federico Chiesa has not had the easiest start to life at his new club, having missed all of pre-season. Slot provided an update on his general fitness at the end of October, revealing that the Italian continues to struggle with injury setbacks.

“I'm not expecting him to be in the squad tomorrow,” the boss said ahead of their Carabao Cup clash with Brighton. “Sometimes, he's there with us, training for a few days, and then he goes out with injury again.”

Slot recently followed up with the news that Chiesa ‘will not be back’ before the international break but they are hopeful he will link back up with his teammates afterwards.

Harvey Elliott

After suffering a fractured foot, Harvey Elliott has made just one appearance for Liverpool this season. Little information has been provided on when he might return but it will not be before the international break.

Diogo Jota

Ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Arsenal, Slot confirmed that Diogo Jota would ‘definitely not’ be training for that game. The hope is that the Portuguese forward will be back to face Southampton after the international break.

“It is always difficult to tell you exactly when [Alisson and Jota] are ready because especially the last phase of the recovery can always be a few days extra or less. The fact is that they are not there before the international break and let’s see if they can join us after,” Slot said in his latest injury updates.

Alisson

Caoimhin Kelleher has stepped up to the plate once again in the absence of Alisson. The Brazilian has been absent with a hamstring injury since Liverpool’s win over Crystal Palace in October. Slot has said that while Alisson is on the road to recovery, it is ‘difficult to judge’ his expected return.

While a specific date has not been confirmed, the boss has confirmed his No.1 will not be back before the international break.