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Liverpool returns to Premier League action on Saturday with the visit of Nottingham Forest marking the end of the international break and the start of a vital period for Arne Slot's men.
After beating Aston Villa and Real Madrid, Liverpool then lost to Manchester City. It now finds itself eight points behind the league leader, Arsenal, and playing catch-up in terms of getting back into the Champions League spots.
So far at least, there have been no injury scares during the international break. Ryan Gravenberch was given the second Netherlands game of the week off, while Mohamed Salah left Egypt's training camp early for an extra rest.
There should be more boosts coming when the players regroup too. Alexander Isak played around half an hour for Sweden a few days ago and could start later today against Slovenia.
The striker was back up at a level of match sharpness where he could be judged properly as a Liverpool player, Arne Slot said a few weeks ago, just before his injury setback.
Within another couple of weeks, the Reds will hope that is the case again. Hugo Ekitike has been doing well, but having that additional option can be no bad thing ahead of a crucial run of games.
Alisson Becker should return in goal this weekend, but Jeremie Frimpong is still set to be absent as he continues to recover from a muscle injury.
"I expect Jeremie back after the international break because we play from November until March!" Slot said before the trip to Manchester City. "I don't expect Jeremie to be fully fit for Forest, but with Alisson, we expect this."
Giovanni Leoni, meanwhile, is the only other player currently sidelined. The teenage center-back is set to miss the rest of the season with the ACL injury he sustained against Southampton in the League Cup.
After taking on Nottingham Forest, Liverpool then has an easier-looking run, at least on paper, in the Premier League, where Slot will hope to make up some ground.
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Fixtures against West Ham, Sunderland, Leeds United, Brighton, Spurs and Wolves come next. Liverpool should be looking for close to maximum points from that list.
"Obviously, we've given ourselves a huge uphill battle, but I don't think any of the teams will really look at the league table until we're halfway through," Andy Robertson said before the international break.
"That's what we've got to do but we've got to pick up points on a more consistent basis. Then let's see where we are after Christmas time or whatever. We've just got to focus on ourselves and focus on performance levels."
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