'Not expecting': Arne Slot shares when he thinks Federico Chiesa will be back after confirming fresh injury
Today at 10:30 AM
UEFA Champions League football returns to Anfield tomorrow night with Liverpool hosting Italian side Bologna on Merseyside.
Having already beaten one Serie A team already in Europe this season in the form of AC Milan, Liverpool will be up for tomorrow night’s task in taking on Bologna, who are one of a handful of clubs competing in the Champions League for the first time this season.
One player who will be absent for Liverpool, though, is summer signing Federico Chiesa, with Arne Slot confirming today to the press that the Italian international will miss out on his first chance to play a European game under the Anfield lights.
And Slot has also announced when the former Juventus star could be back in action.
Chiesa’s latest Liverpool injury nothing major, says Slot
Speaking to the press, the Dutch manager confirmed that Chiesa’s latest injury is not a serious one, with the 26-year-old winger in contention to feature for Liverpool later this week in the Premier League against Crystal Palace.
With Chiesa missing all of pre-season due to problems at Juventus, it’s no real surprise that the attacker is still struggling with fitness issues, with the former ACF Fiorentina star yet to adapt fully to the Premier League, it seems.
READ MORE: Everything to know on Liverpool's Federico Chiesa from net worth to stats
Slot said: “Federico trained yesterday, came in today with some problems and I’m not expecting him to be in the team tomorrow. It’s a pity for us but for him even more, he was looking forward to a Champions League night at Anfield, especially against an Italian team.
“It’s difficult to say [how long he’ll miss] because it was yesterday, but I’m not expecting him to be out for a very long period of time. For this game it’s not possible for him and we have to wait and see if he’ll be in the team for Crystal Palace.”
Liverpool need to be patient with Chiesa’s fitness
Fitness problems and injuries are a good reason why Chiesa did not work out at Juventus in the long-term, with the winger’s ACL injury in 2021 seemingly causing the attacker to suffer from issue after issue.
And for Liverpool, the Reds need to be patient when it comes to waiting on Chiesa to reach full fitness, a process that could take some weeks given how long the attacker has not played regular football.
Indeed, we all know Chiesa is a world-class attacker when fully fit and in form, and for Liverpool fans, they will need to be patient if they’re to see the Italian return to his absolute best, a wait that could be worth it in the long-term.
