1 week ago
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After a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot might not have chosen Crystal Palace as his next opponents. However, that's precisely who the Reds are set to face at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Slot's team, still smarting from a disheartening 3-2 loss at Brentford on Saturday, will enter the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie with questions looming about their ability to defend their league title, won so convincingly last season.
It's reasonable to say that the League Cup isn't at the top of Slot's priority list for a 2025-26 campaign that seems to be veering off course. Yet, returning to familiar territory after five out of the last six matches away from Merseyside, Slot will be keen to secure a victory to boost his squad's wavering morale.
However, challenges abound. For starters, Palace have already triumphed over the Reds twice this season - first in the Community Shield via penalties at Wembley in August, and then in the Premier League at Selhurst Park last month.
That nail-biting 2-1 victory sent Liverpool into a tailspin, with subsequent losses to Chelsea, Manchester United, and Brentford.
Another hurdle for Slot is the potential absence of six players for the Palace match, restricting his options to rotate his squad ahead of what looks to be a crucial league fixture against an increasingly formidable Aston Villa side on Saturday. Injury compounded frustration at the weekend when it emerged that Curtis Jones's substitution was due to a physical knock.
Slot explained: "Curtis, we have to wait and see. He asked to be taken off but he walked off instead of needing treatment. It's a lot of games and there's another one in four days."
Slot was already missing midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and striker Alexander Isak at the Gtech Community Stadium, both sidelined with ankle and groin issues respectively.
The duo joined hamstring victims Alisson Becker and Jeremie Frimpong on the treatment table, whilst teenage centre-half Giovanni Leoni remains out for the campaign following ACL surgery.
None of that trio will be available against Palace, with Reds fans awaiting news on Isak, Gravenberch and Jones.
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During his Friday press conference ahead of the Brentford fixture, Slot revealed: "Jeremie's not in a good place. What I mean by that he is definitely not going to play today, tomorrow or next week. Hamstring injury so that's going to take a while.
"Alex, not too bad, but a question mark for the weekend, so let's see where he is. He didn't travel with us (to Frankfurt), so today we are in again. Yesterday we were in as well but we had a day to travel. Let's see where he is today."
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