Photo by David Ramirez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Liverpool travel to the Estadi Montilivi to face Girona in the Champions League on Tuesday evening (5:45 PM GMT), looking to maintain their perfect record in this season’s competition.
Alisson Becker could make his return to action after being included in the traveling squad, having been sidelined since sustaining an injury at Crystal Palace two months ago.
Manager Arne Slot has already confirmed that Alisson could feature against Girona.
However, Liverpool remains without Federico Chiesa, Diogo Jota, and Tyler Morton, while Alexis Mac Allister serves a one-match suspension.
For Girona, Bojan Miovski is ruled out after picking up a training injury, while Yangel Herrera (calf) and Viktor Tsygankov (adductor) are also unavailable.
Liverpool head into this match after an unexpected break, following the postponement of Saturday’s Merseyside derby due to Storm Darragh.
Their last outing was a 3-3 draw at Newcastle, which ended their Premier League winning streak.
Girona have struggled in their maiden Champions League campaign, sitting 30th in the 36-team table with just three points from five matches.
They come into this game on the back of a 3-0 home defeat to Real Madrid.
But despite their poor form, manager Miguel Angel Sanchez ‘Michel’ is relishing the tie nonetheless.
What did the Girona manager say about Liverpool?
Girona’s remarkable rise under Michel Sanchez has been nothing short of extraordinary since his appointment in July 2021.
The Spanish coach took charge when the club was in Segunda División, guiding them to promotion via the playoffs in his first season (2021/22).
The team’s progression continued with an impressive 10th-place finish in La Liga during 2022/23, their highest-ever top-flight position.
Building on this success, Girona secured a historic third-place finish in 2023/24, earning their first-ever Champions League qualification.
And speaking to the media ahead of the clash vs Girona, Michel revealed that the fixture against Liverpool represents a dream for him:
“It means a lot to me,’ he said via Metro. ‘A,t Rayo I always sang “next year Rayo-Liverpool” and it was a dream.
“After qualifying for the Champions League, they were an opponent I wanted. Playing at Anfield or here is the same, it’s a dream for everyone.”
He then revealed why, admitting that the Reds ‘dominate’ every aspect of the game:
‘They dominate all the concepts of the game. Their game is very dynamic, they change structure at any moment and they have players with top intensity and pressure,’ he said Arne Slot’s side.
“If you get behind them they are capable of winning duels… if they are in a low block they are capable of defending the area because they are strong in the air.”
“We will have to run more than ever. But it can be done, of course. They dominate everything and that’s why we have to think about ourselves, be ou,rselves and give the best version of ourselves.’
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