Liverpool

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Arne Slot took a bit of a "mental break" during the latest round of internationals before returning to Liverpool on Tuesday.

He could return home and try to switch off in the knowledge he had led his side to the top of the Premier League with six wins from their opening seven top-flight games after replacing Jurgen Klopp in the summer.

However, while Slot has consistently highlighted that his side have been helped by a favourable fixture list, he knows things are about to get a lot tougher.

Liverpool host Chelsea on Sunday and have league games against Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa before another international break in mid-November.

In that time, they will also play Brighton in the Carabao Cup as well as RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League during a run which will be a voyage of discovery for Slot and his side.

"We have to judge us as a team after this spell of games," said the Dutchman. "Then we know better how we act and how we perform if we play tough Champions League games and tough league games."

On the contracts front, if Liverpool fans are growing increasingly nervous about the deals of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah running out next summer, then Slot did not have much in the way of calming those concerns.

He did say the trio must be doing well if people want them to extend their contracts but he had no update on the situation.

Image source, Opta

With the October international break now firmly in the rearview mirror, Opta Analyst, external have turned their attention to the next four Premier League fixtures.

Here, they have given each team a ranking between 80 and 100 and then found the average to determine to difficulty of the schedule.

Liverpool's opening seven matches were ranked the easiest in the league, but their upcoming four are the fourth-toughest in the division. They will face Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Brighton, with an average opponent strength of 91.4 before the next international break.

Fellow early pacesetters Arsenal also have challenging fixtures, playing Bournemouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea with an average rating of 90.7, while Manchester City's next four against Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth and Brighton are ranked the third-easiest by Opta.

Chelsea and Brighton have the second-hardest and third-hardest runs respectively, a real test given the promising starts for their new managers Enzo Maresca and Fabian Hurzeler.

At the other end of the table, Leicester - who recently secured their first win of the season against Bournemouth - have a chance to build with the easiest run in the division. They face Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and Manchester United.

Fellow promoted side Ipswich will hope to pick up their first win of the season during a run of games that is ranked the fifth-easiest.

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Earlier, we asked you to identify the former Liverpool player from their Premier League statistics playing for the club.

The correct answer was Rickie Lambert.

Arne Slot says it is "a bit uncommon" for goalkeepers to suffer from muscle injuries but the dense fixture schedule can heighten the risk.

Liverpool will be without first choice keeper Alisson for Sunday's Premier League fixture against Chelsea and, while Slot has no issue with lunchtime kick-offs in principle, he does think congestion can cause problems.

"What might be something to think about for the English FA, is if you play Wednesday evening in the Champions League then playing at 12.30pm on the Saturday, it might be a disadvantage when it comes to injuries," said Slot.

"If you play so shortly after then that might have to be something we take into consideration."

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Everton cannot take Ipswich Town game "for granted", says Toffees boss Sean Dyche.

The Merseyside club, who have taken five points from the past three matches after losing their first four, travel to Portman Road on Saturday.

The Premier League newcomers are still waiting for their first league win, but sit only a point behind Everton as a result of their four draws in seven games.

Sean Dyche's side have a good record against promoted teams, winning three and drawing two of their past five encounters.

Despite the turnaround in form from the Toffees, boss Dyche is wary of the threat posed by Kieran McKenna's side.

"You can't take these teams for granted. There are no gimmes," said Dyche.

"They've spent a small fortune - or a recognised fortune - in this level of football for a club who've just come up so they're obviously intent on staying in the division.

"They did terrific last season. They're good operators. They're learning as they go. The last time out [a 4-1 defeat by West Ham] was a tough one. That can happen in the Premier League.

"But from what I've seen so far, they're full of endeavour and full of belief to take it on. That's what we've got to be ready for."

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Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha believes if Liverpool can come through the next week picking up "big results" in their three games, people cannot doubt the Reds' chances of success this season.

Arne Slot's side host Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, before a Champions League tie against RB Leipzig on Wednesday and a trip to Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in the league on 27 October.

Speaking on the Planet Premier League podcast, Onuoha said: "I'm still a believer that Liverpool are rightly favourites against Chelsea, but to have this game and then the next domestic game to be Arsenal away - those are two tough tests.

"This is a Chelsea side that have probably outperformed what a lot of people believed they could be.

"It's still early but one thing they have going in their favour is they are the second top scorers in the division and have 10 of those goals away from home. They won't have any fear going to Anfield because they have form and belief.

"Liverpool have been very good defensively, but here comes a really tough challenge. I'm more interested in seeing how they defend against Chelsea rather than their attacking side - because they're always capable of scoring.

"With Leipzig in midweek as well, it's a really good week to see where Liverpool are at. It's not definitive, but how will Slot pick his teams and set up for these three different games?

"If they can come out of these with big results, why would anyone doubt them?"

Listen to the full episode here

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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says captain Virgil van Dijk "has been crucial" to the team's excellent start to the season.

Van Dijk has played every minute for the Reds since Slot arrived in the summer with the Netherlands captain making a huge contribution to the best defensive record in the league so far.

"We all see how good he still is and how much he contributes to our offensive style," Slot said. "What you don’t see, and I do see, is how important he is in the training sessions.

"He is the most loud and he brings a lot of energy and quality into the sessions. What you see at the weekends is what I also see during the week and that is what you want to see.

"He is definitely our leader."

Listen to full commentary of Liverpool v Chelsea from 16:30 BST on Sunday on BBC Radio 5 Live

We asked you to send in your questions for Fara Williams and the former England midfielder and BBC Sport pundit has been answering a selection.

Chris asked: After the way Everton stood by Dominic Calvert-Lewin through his injury, allowing him maximum recovery time and not pressuring him to return despite needing him badly, would it be fair for him to not sign a new contract and leave for nothing?

The question is, with the new owners coming in: is there a contract on the table?

If there is not a contract on the table, is that the direction the owners want to go in or is there a contract there that Calvert-Lewin does not want to sign? There are two sides to these situations.

If there is an offer on the table and he is not signing it, for a club that have done so much for him and likewise he has done for them at times as their talisman, that would be gutting for Everton fans.

From that mutual respect they may have expected more from him, but the difficulty is not knowing whether there is a contract there to be signed.

Calvert-Lewin is someone who would have value on his head and it would therefore help the club in that way. So Evertonians would be bitterly gutted if he was running his contract down to leave.

It could be that Calvert-Lewin and his team are waiting for the new owners to come in to see what is put down and what direction they want to go. That is something the player does not really have a say in.

It is difficult because he is an ambitious player who, if the club stays in the same position it has been for the past few seasons, will want to move on. And, as a club, you do not want to hold a player back.

But, I also understand from a fans' point of view, with the support he has been given by the club, to leave like that without any profit would be gutting.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Chelsea (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He said there "are quite a few issues" with the players who have come back from their international teams, so they will be assessed after their first training session back together on Friday.

• Goalkeeper Alisson will be sidelined "for weeks" with a muscle injury which they "are looking into" for causes of as it is uncommon in his position of play.

• He said the next cluster of fixtures - in all competitions - will give them the opportunity "to be judged" on how they can handle European and league games. Slot added: "The only ones who show they can do it are Manchester City and Arsenal. Now it is up to us."

• On opponents Chelsea: "It is a challenge. If you want to achieve something in a season then you have to be defensively stable. We have been up until now, but now we face Chelsea who have a lot of talented individuals to try to manage and control."

• He said he was pleased for Conor Bradley, who captained Northern Ireland during the international break, and says "there is going to be a bright future for him as he is a very good player and we need those bright players here at Liverpool".

• On captain Virgil van Dijk: "He has been crucial for us. What you don't see and I do see is how important he is on the training ground. He is definitely our leader."

• In response to criticism of the centre-back returning from international duty early: "Players and managers need these mental breaks. It is normal."

• On Trent Alexander-Arnold playing as left-back for England: "Good players will always find their way into the team. The national team has very good players and Trent is one of them."

• More from Slot on Alexander-Arnold's Reds performances: "He has been very good for us. He was and is still important in the attacking part of our game and I like the way he has defended. He has made a step up in that perspective."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Guess the former Liverpool player from their Premier League statistics at the club:

• Years at club: 2014-2015

• National team: England

• Position: Striker

• Appearances: 25

• Goals: 2

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 BST

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport journalist

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Are Liverpool realistic title contenders?

That is a question the next three weeks or so will play a big part in answering as the Reds face a crunch run of seven games in 21 days, starting with the visit of Chelsea on Sunday.

After hosting the Blues, the Liverpool will play Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa in the league, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and Brighton again in the Carabao Cup.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot is due to speak to the media at 09:00 BST before Chelsea come to Anfield, and we will find out how much of a test of credentials he thinks that game will be for his top-of-the-table side.

Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah should be fresh for the upcoming fixtures after they returned early from international duty.

Centre-back Van Dijk was sent off in the Netherlands' Nations League game against Hungary and forward Salah scored for Egypt in a 2-0 victory over Mauritania in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying - both on Friday, 11 October - before they were released by their countries.

One player not available is keeper Alisson, who is expected to be out with a hamstring injury until the next international break in November at the earliest.

Caoimhin Kelleher is set to replace the goalkeeper and he will have another chance to prove he can step up and become a number one at Liverpool or elsewhere.

It is still all quiet on the contracts front when it comes to Trent-Alexander Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk extending their deals beyond next summer so has Slot got any update on that? We will find out later.

Come back to this page later for all the key lines from Slot's news conference

Image source, Opta

After the October international break, the Opta supercomputer has updated its projected final Premier League table.

It is only seven matches into the campaign so much can still change, but the season is beginning to take shape. The supercomputer simulates thousands of seasons and takes the percentage each side finishes in each league position.

Southampton remain most likely to finish bottom but their one point from seven games has seen their chances increasing dramatically from 28.6% to 61%.

A solid start, despite no win yet, has seen Ipswich's probability of finishing 17th creep up from 12% to 15.2% - but a 19th-placed finish has increased from 21.3% to 25.3%.

Leicester's most likely finish has changed from bottom to 18th after their first win under Steve Cooper, while Crystal Palace's poor start has seen their chances of ending in their current position of 18th go from 1.1% to 7.2%.

Wolves finished 18th in 9.7% of simulations before a ball was kicked but the now-bottom side are now at 20.1% to end in that position after a winless first seven games.