Liverpool confirm major injury blow with Aston Villa clash on the horizon

The latest injury update from Liverpool confirms the worst for goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who now looks likely to miss November's Premier League meeting with Aston Villa at Anfield

Premier League rivals Liverpool look likely to be without injured first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker for up to six weeks. Aston Villa are due to take on the Reds at Anfield during this period.

Finishing one place above Unai Emery's men last term, Liverpool are one of the teams Villa hope to topple in their quest to reach the top four in successive seasons. But so far they have rarely put a foot wrong under new head coach Arne Slot, sitting top of the Premier League table with 18 points.

During the opening seven matches Alisson's importance has been displayed in the fact he has kept four clean sheets, conceding only twice to date, however scans for a hamstring injury aggravated further against Crystal Palace have returned a damning verdict heading into the next stint of the season.

Via sister site the Liverpool ECHO, the Brazilian is facing a six-week spell on the sidelines after suffering a tear of the muscle. This means he should be out until after next month's international break 'at a minimum', the last game before which Villa head to Anfield for the clubs' 2024/25 Premier League meeting.

In-form goalscorers Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran will therefore likely come up against Republic of Ireland international Caoimhin Kelleher, who has deputised once already this term when Alisson's issue first flared up before a meeting with Bournemouth. He kept a clean sheet in that 3-0 win on Merseyside.

"Alisson is our clear No.1 and is the best goalkeeper in the world," Slot said at Selhurst Park on Saturday. "It’s always a blow when he gets injured, not only for himself but also for us as a team. The positive thing for the team, not only in the goalkeeper position but also in almost every position, is that we also have a second option that’s really good. Caoimh has already shown this season that he’s quite clearly the number two goalkeeper. He did really well."

Kelleher was deemed too ill to travel with his team-mates last weekend, so Slot was forced to turn to 23-year-old Vitezslav Jaros - handed his full debut in the process - to help his team hold on against Palace.

Villa will also be keen to see how this injury impacts their rivals' chances in the Champions League. Both are gunning for a place in the new league phase's automatic qualification spots, with Alisson's issue meaning he will also miss matches against RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen.

Does this injury mean Villa will win at Anfield next month? Send your predictions HERE

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