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Arne Slot has provided a significant fitness update ahead of Liverpool’s crucial Premier League clash away at Aston Villa on Friday night.
While talismanic striker Mohamed Salah is poised to return from a two-match injury layoff, the Reds may be forced to navigate the game without influential playmaker Florian Wirtz due to a sudden illness.
Triple Fitness Boost
Liverpool’s attacking and defensive options have been boosted by the news that Salah is set to travel to the West Midlands after recovering from a muscle injury.
The Egypt international’s return coincides with positive news regarding Ibrahima Konate, who has returned to full training after a minor scare during last weekend’s win over Chelsea.
Furthermore, goalkeeper Alisson Becker has returned to first-team training, although his participation remains subject to a late assessment to determine his fitness for competition.
Slot provides team update
Addressing the media during his pre-match press conference this morning, Slot outlined the varying availability of his squad for the penultimate away game.
Slot confirmed: “Mo will be available tomorrow for just a few minutes but hopefully can come in.
“Ibou [Konate] is OK, trained with us. Alisson is training with us again, let’s see where he is tomorrow, if he is ready already or has to wait another week.”
Concern about late illness
While the return of senior figures provides optimism, the availability of 2025 summer signing Wirtz is uncertain due to a medical problem that has hampered his preparations.
Elaborating on the Germany international’s condition, Slot said: “Stomach infection, so let’s see how fit he is for tomorrow. He’s on antibiotics. Let’s see if he’s ready to play tomorrow.”
Top four spot on the line
Should Wirtz miss out, Liverpool will lose an important creative spark against a Villa side also pushing for a top four finish.
The Reds will seal Champions League qualification and all but secure fourth place if they beat Villa, with the two teams currently locked on 59 points each.
Fifth place will also be enough to join Europe’s elite competition, but Bournemouth can mathematically still win to steal the place as it stands.
2026 FIFA World Cup: How to watch
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Spread over three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament games will be broadcast live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every game streaming live and on-demand on both FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 games, more than a third of the tournament, are televised in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
The June 11 opener between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream for free on Tubi, as will the USA’s June 12 opener against Paraguay (9 p.m. ET).
