Liverpool will be without one key player when they travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal in a Premier League clash later this month.
On October 27th, Arsenal will host Liverpool in North London.
This fixture, due to its scale – as things stand, Liverpool sit at the top of the Premier League table, one point ahead of the Gunners – will already be in the back of Mikel Arteta’s mind.
Whilst Arsenal will take on Bournemouth and then Shakhtar Donetsk in a Champions League encounter, after the international break, before meeting the Reds, this is already a game that will be on many fans’ minds.
Arteta will be hoping to have Martin Odegaard back in action in time to face Liverpool. Odegaard recently stepped up his recovery progress, but still has some way to go before he will be back to full fitness.
In the meantime, Liverpool have injury woes of their own to worry about.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker out for Arsenal clash
As reported by TNT Sports on X, Alisson Becker will not be fit to play in this fixture due to having picked up a hamstring injury.
The Brazilian shot-stopper looks set to be absent for the Merseyside outfit’s upcoming games against Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton at home and away, Bayer Leverkusen, and Aston Villa.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot will surely now give Caoimhin Kelleher a run in the side.
Whilst Kelleher is an excellent back up option for Slot to have to call upon, as he has proven when deputising for Alisson in the past, losing their first choice between the sticks for such an extended period is still a huge blow for the club.
How Mikel Arteta will change Arsenal tactics due to Alisson absence
Alisson has arguably been the best goalkeeper in the Premier League for several years now, and whilst the 32-year-old is an excellent shot-stopper, he is equally brilliant with the ball at his feet.
The 71-cap Brazil international is trusted to play the ball around at the back and receive possession under pressure.
Due to this, Arsenal may not have been too keen to press Alisson aggressively when he is on the ball, as he has the capacity to play around them.
However, Kelleher is somewhat less press resistant. Therefore, Arteta will likely instruct his players to be far more aggressive in that regard. The onus will be on the likes of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli to be on the front and pressurise Kelleher quickly when he has the ball at his feet, seeking to force an error.
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