Arne Slot ready for 'beautiful' challenge after Liverpool injury boosts

Arne Slot has previewed a big week for Liverpool, where the race for the Champions League spots will take a brief backseat amid huge clashes with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during a press conference(Image: Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says he is looking forward to some "beautiful" upcoming fixtures, despite the Reds still struggling to find consistency in a tough campaign.

With Champions League qualification on the line, Liverpool has to continue picking up points in the Premier League but now has two cup fixtures to contend with in a short space of time following the international break.

First, it takes on Manchester City in the FA Cup. It then travels to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final, with Slot admitting that those draws have given his side the hardest possible tasks.

"All beautiful fixtures to be part of," an 'excited' Slot told club media. "I think this is why you play football. It's to be part of these games because everybody's talking about them.

"When I wasn't working here, I was always looking forward to Liverpool against Man City or Man City against Liverpool. And PSG, for the last five, six, seven, eight, nine or 10 years, they've become a big force in Europe. So, playing them now is also nice.

"Then, of course, the big derby against Everton is nice and in between [we have] Fulham — a very important game as well. Unfortunately, we play Paris Saint-Germain first on Wednesday, then secondly on Tuesday.

Arne Slot is hoping to finish the season strongly(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

"That means three games in seven days. But that is part of the end-phase of the season. Most of our players did play in the international break, but not all of them played twice for 90 minutes."

Alexander Isak is set to return to team training today, while Mohamed Salah and Federico Chiesa should be fit for Saturday's trip to the Etihad Stadium. Jeremie Frimpong is set to undergo a scan on the injury he sustained on international duty, but Slot says the Liverpool squad is generally in a good place.

"I expect them to be ready for the program we are going to face," he continued. "I hope and expect we can be the team that we were against Galatasaray.

"That's also what we need to be because Manchester City has shown one day after we played Brighton, which we all knew and which they have shown many times this season, when they won the League Cup how good of a team they are, how many good players they have and how good a manager they have. It's a very nice game to look forward to."

As things stand, Liverpool is inside the top five spots. Regardless of what happens in the cups over the next week and a half, the Reds simply have to find a way of getting back into the Champions League again next year.

"We've shown so many times this season that we can be a very good team," Slot added.

"Unfortunately, we've also shown this season a few times that we look vulnerable, and we have to get the best out of ourselves as we've had many times this season.

"But that's what we need definitely again in the upcoming weeks to do what we want to do and that is to continue our run in both cups and qualify for the Champions League next season."