Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game againstNottingham Forest at Anfield (kick-off 15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz picked up "muscle injuries" on international duty, which Slot called "far from ideal".
Slot said Bradley is likely to be sidelined for the next seven games "unless a miracle happens", while Wirtz "shouldn't be that long".
Jeremie Frimpong is also unavailable "for the next two or three weeks".
Goalkeeper Alisson is expected to return to the matchday squad if he gets through Friday's training session.
On injuries: "We have five players who have always played as a defender for the next seven games, and I don't see anyone coming back before that. The biggest issue we're facing is match fitness."
Slot said it "would have been better" for the Reds if Alexander Isak had played more minutes for Sweden over the break, but he was benched for the second game as he was a yellow card away from suspension.
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On Andy Robertson's emotional comments about Diogo Jota after Scotland qualified for the World Cup midweek: "I saw the interview live and I know it is an issue for us, which is completely normal. We miss the player and the person. That is completely clear."
In response to Jota's name being sung by fans being a heavy reminder, Slot said: "It's good for us to be reminded. It's impossible to measure what it does to the players and what it does to our performances. The last thing I will do is use it as an excuse. We will never use it as an excuse."
On their chances of defending the title now: "We are not even thinking or talking about it. It is just about the next game. The only focus we have is winning games of football."
He said "not one manager is the same," but he expects the game against Nottingham Forest "to be a similar type to last time" given the way Sean Dyche sets his team up.
Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of Liverpool v Nottingham Forest at 15:00 on Saturday on BBC Sounds
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