Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Galatasaray v Liverpool - Rams Park, Istanbul, Turkey - September 30, 2025 Liverpool's Alisson Becker REUTERS/Umit Bektas
(Reuters) -Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker is not expected to be available until after the November international break due to a hamstring injury, manager Arne Slot said ahead of Saturday's Premier League game against Chelsea.
The Brazil international limped off during the second half of Liverpool's 1-0 Champions League defeat at Galatasaray on Tuesday.
Slot is set to turn to Georgian Giorgi Mamardashvili in Alisson's absence as Liverpool look to extend their two-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.
"Alisson is not part of the squad tomorrow and he won't travel to Brazil for the national team," Slot told reporters on Friday.
"I will be surprised if he will be there for the first game after the international break. From there on things can go a bit faster a bit slower. It's difficult to say."
With Liverpool set to face a stretch of fixtures that includes league matches against Manchester United and Manchester City, and a Champions League tie against Real Madrid, Slot was pleased to have a solid back-up to Alisson.
"I think we've seen against Southampton how well he's (Mamardashvili) adjusted," said Slot.
"We knew we were bringing in a very good goalkeeper. When he plays his first game that's a way of seeing he's adjusted really well to our club. It's not a surprise because he's a quality goalkeeper."
Liverpool, who lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace late last month, are coming into the game at Stamford Bridge on a rare two-match losing run and Slot stressed the need for improvement when they take on eighth-placed Chelsea.
"The reaction after losing two games in a row you can argue if that is positive. But what I saw was a team playing until the last minute trying to get a result (against Galatasaray)," the Dutchman said.
"I've said many times last season the margins are so small. That's the same this season again. We are trying to find ways to be better and not just rely on luck or a set-piece or something... We need to do better."
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
