Isak has been working towards match fitness following his £125m arrival from Newcastle
Alexander Isak looks set to make his Liverpool debut against Atletico Madrid
Alexander Isak looks set to make his Liverpool debut against Atletico Madrid (Getty)
Your support helps us to tell the story
Support Now
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Arne Slot has confirmed that Alexander Isak will be in the squad for Liverpool’s Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid, but is “100 per cent sure” he will not play 90 minutes.
Isak joined Liverpool in a British-record £125m deal on deadline day, bringing an end to the saga of the summer that saw the Swede go on strike at Newcastle.
The striker has yet to feature for the Reds having not played club football since the end of last season and was not in the matchday squad that scraped victory over Burnley on the weekend.
Slot, however, has revealed that there is a strong chance that he will make his debut against Atletico on Wednesday.
"Definitely a chance because he's in the squad,” he said at his press conference ahead of the Anfield clash. “The chance to play, I would usually say 99.9 per cent sure but I can say 100 per cent sure he will not play 90 minutes but he's part of the squad.
"It's already a Champions League game to look forward to but if people look forward to his playing time that could mean that could happen tomorrow as well.”
On the potential of Isak starting the game, Slot added: “The only thing we’re sure of is he will not play 90.”
Isak has made his on-pitch return since signing for Liverpool, making a second-half substitute cameo in Sweden’s losing effort to Kosovo in the September international break.
He is now on the verge of making his Liverpool bow off the back of a prolific Premier League season at St James’s Park, which saw him bag 23 goals and six assists as Newcastle enjoyed one of their greatest seasons in history.
Isak’s move to Anfield capped off a summer of serial spending from the Reds, splashing out close to £450m inclusive of add-ons as the likes of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez also came through the door.
But with a lot of focus on Liverpool’s expenditure, Slot has cited Liverpool’s sales as key to their business, with Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz leaving this su,mmer.
"There's so much focus on our new signings,” he said. “Especially from pundits who favour, not us, but some other clubs in the country that cannot stop talking about £450m - I repeat £450m, £450m - but always forget the £300m that we've sold.
"These players we've brought in are a lot of money but are playing now with players worth the same amount of money. If we want to strengthen the squad we have to spend that money.”
Slot used Liverpool’s standout performer of the season so far to emphasise his side’s pre-existing value, adding: “If we were to sell Dominik Szoboszlai tomorrow he'd be worth £100m as well.”