LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) – Liverpool manager Arne Slot expects Diogo Jota to feature in their Champions League clash with Serie A side Bologna at Anfield, despite the Portuguese forward’s absence from training on Tuesday.
Jota received a knock in the 2-1 Premier League win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday but is set to play instead of Federico Chiesa, who arrived at training on Tuesday with an injury.
The Italian winger joined Liverpool from Juventus in August and grabbed an assist in the 5-1 League Cup third-round rout of West Ham United but will miss out on facing familiar opponents on Wednesday.
“It’s a shame for him because he was looking forward to a Champions League night at Anfield, and especially because we face an Italian team,” Slot told reporters.
“How long is he out? It’s always difficult because it happened yesterday but I am not expecting him to be out for a very long period of time.
“We will see if he can be in the team for Saturday (league match at Crystal Palace).”
Liverpool are off to a strong start in Slot’s first season in charge. They top the Premier League standings on 15 points, opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-1 win over AC Milan, and have booked their spot in the League Cup last 16.
“One of the reasons we can compete is we have a lot of quality. We have a lot of cohesion in the team. Those who are not playing are happy with us scoring and winning so those are two really positive things,” Slot added.
Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister had kind words for how well the Dutchman has done in filling the huge shoes left by former manager Juergen Klopp.
“He’s definitely an amazing manager. You can see how he’s been from the first day,” the Argentine said. “We understand what he wants from us, and I think that’s the main thing as a coach — to get the ideas in the players.”
Liverpool are back in the Champions League after a one-year absence and Slot hopes to see the hunger reflected in his team on Wednesday.
“What I want from the players is them to show they missed this. I want to see this, I want to feel this,” Slot said. “I am hoping it’s the same from our fans. I hope they feel this desire to show Europe that you missed us.”
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
