Dec 18,2024
Caoimhin Kelleher will be back between the sticks for Liverpool's Carabao Cup quarter-final at Southampton on Wednesday night, with boss Arne Slot set to serve a touchline ban after picking up another booking during last Saturday's draw against Fulham.
Kelleher dropped out of the team last week as Alisson Becker returned from a lengthy injury absence.
The Corkman had deputised excellently but was guilty of a costly late error away to Newcastle United which gifted the Magpies an equaliser.
Meanwhile Slot accepts he let his emotions get the better of him during a rollercoaster clash with the Saints at the weekend, though he is hopeful his absence will not have a major impact.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Slot said: "You always reflect. I think in general I'm calm but - I don't know if it's smart to say this - there's also a limit for me, let's put it that way, then I can get emotional.
"Unfortunately, that limit is earlier reached by referee decisions than the decisions my players make, because they make more good decisions than the referees do, in my opinion, for my team!
"But I don't always think you have to show it to have that fire. I think it's clear that if you work in a club like this, or around the world at a top club, you do have this fire inside of you that you want to win every game, and you try to influence as much as you can.
"The mistake I've made two times already here, and one or two times in Holland, is that sometimes you think that creating an atmosphere that the whole world is against you can lead to some positive decisions in the end of the game.
"But here until now it stayed the same, it didn't change. It didn't help at all."
Slot has no complaints about the booking he received at the weekend but is confident he will be able to work around his punishment.
He said: "If you are suspended in Holland then you're not allowed to be in and around the dressing room, you cannot do the media as well.
"This is a lighter version of suspension, I would say, than I'm used to - but I've never been used to being suspended as it's the first time.
"I think I'm still able to do the things I want to do. The moment you have the least impact on your team is during the (two) 45 minutes, and the most impact you can have is at half-time or before the game. Those are the things I can do.
"In an ideal situation I would have just been on the sideline but I got a yellow, which I probably deserved. It happens."
Slot is set to rest some of his regular starters for the tie as he looks ahead to the Premier League leaders' trip to Tottenham on Sunday.
Diogo Jota, who scored as a substitute on his return from injury against Fulham, will not start having not trained on Monday. Slot said the Portuguese is still not "completely fit".
Defender Kostas Tsimikas could replace the suspended Andy Robertson if he proves his fitness and Alexis Mac Allister is back from a suspension. Federico Chiesa could get some minutes as he builds up his fitness but Conor Bradley (hamstring) and Ibrahima Konate (knee) are still sidelined.
