Liverpool have been given a boost with the news that Alisson and Diogo Jota have both returned to training.
Arne Slot's team will face Girona in the Champions League on Tuesday, having almost booked their place in the round of 16. The Reds have a maximum of fifteen points from five games, putting them in excellent form for a top eight finish with the seven teams between sixth and twelfth all tied at 10.
Alisson has not played since early October, when he had to leave with a hamstring injury during the win against Crystal Palace. Caoimhin Kelleher has proven to be an able substitute in Europe, saving a penalty from Kylian Mbappe as the Reds beat Real Madrid, although he had a night to forget against Newcastle in Liverpool's last Premier League appearance.
Portuguese striker Jota has been on the sidelines for almost as long. He was injured in the next match, a win over Chelsea, but was able to make his first European appearance since the victory over Bologna on October 2.
While Jota and Alisson are back in contention, Federico Chiesa may have to wait. The Italy international was close to returning from injury but is understood to have missed Monday's training due to illness.
Summer signing Chiesa returned to action at the beginning of this month during a Premier League International Cup match against FC Nordsjaelland. The 27-year-old was among the goals after taking to the field as an oversized player for the Reds Under-21s, but he could not prevent a 4-3 defeat.
The former Juventus star has made just three appearances since joining towards the end of the summer transfer window. Only one of those was a start, when Chiesa played an hour against West Ham in the Carabao Cup in September.
Liverpool go into Tuesday's match with the second-best defensive record in the Champions League. AC Milan's Christian Pulisic remains the only person to score against Slot's team in this season's competition, although Inter Milan have not conceded a goal at all.
Girona have had a much tougher time in their first Champions League campaign. The Spanish team lost top scorer Artem Dovbyk last summer and is struggling to maintain the level of results achieved last season.
Michel's team has won once – against Slovan Bratislava – and lost the other four matches. With games against Milan and Arsenal looming, their hopes of staying in Europe beyond the league phase hang in the balance.
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