Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport Chelsea reporter

Enzo Maresca on Cole Palmer's potential return from injury: "He is probably not available for tomorrow for sure, Barcelona for sure or Arsenal for sure. Unfortunately, he had an accident at home where he hit his toe. It is nothing important, but he won't be back in the next week."

Image source, Getty Images

Craig Nelson
BBC Sport reporter

Right, we will be hearing from Pep Guardiola next, but first here is a quick line from Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca...

Liverpool

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We are moving on from Liverpool now, but here is a summary of the top lines from Arne Slot:

• Team news - Alisson back, Wirtz and Bradley out
• 'We are not thinking about the title'
• Slot spoke about the impact of grief on his players following Andy Robertson's emotional interview about Diogo Jota after Scotland's win over Denmark
• But the Liverpool boss said he would never use grief as an excuse for poor performances
• The Liverpool manager also spoke about frustration over Alexander Isak's lack of game time for Sweden because of suspension fears
• And how his side will cope with the fact they only have five natural defenders available as Liverpool prepare for a run of seven games in 21 days

Liverpool

More from Liverpool manager Arne Slot on Bradley and Wirtz injuries: "Both are muscle injuries. Conor I don't expect to play in the next 22 days unless a miracle happens, which I don't expect. Maybe towards the end.

"Florian, it depends on how things work, but it should not be that long.

"Jeremie Frimpong is out for the next two or three weeks as well so it's going to be interesting who all of you want to see as right-back."

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on right-back options and Dominik Szoboszlai: "He's doing so well in every position. He played really well as a full-back, really well as a midfielder. Curtis Jones played [right-back] last season as well.

"Joe Gomez can play there but he has played 90 minutes twice in 2025 so if we want to keep him available longer then it is a bit of a risk to play him seven times in 22 days.

"He missed a training session yesterday as well, but we're expecting him to train today.

"Challenging, but the good thing is we have enough good players still, maybe one or two of them have to play in positions they usually don't but that's what we have to accept."

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on hectic schedule and bedding players in: "Variation of form is not only with the new signings, it is also with the players we had.

"In a season, they are not always in the same form. But the biggest issue we have faced until now - and are still facing - is the match fitness of the players and the time they have missed in pre-season.

"Alex [Isak] now we were hoping we would play a bit more for Sweden but, unfortunately, he was one yellow away from being suspended so, for obvious reasons, they didn't play him the second time.

"For us, it would have been better if he had played more minutes.

"I just told you about Conor and Florian, Jeremie [Frimpong] is already out, Giovanni Leoni as well, so at the moment we have five natural defenders available for seven games in 21 days and I don't see anyone coming back before that.

"We knew it was hard when you bring players in a little bit later, it's harder to keep them fit and there is more emphasis on the ones who are fit."

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on changes to Nottingham Forest from last season: "Not one manager is the same as another one but the playing style of Nuno is closer to the one of Sean Dyche than Ange Postecoglou.

"Again not similar but closer. It's probably going to be a similar type of game to last time we played them as it is Dyche rather than Postecoglou."

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on team news: "Andy Robertson didn't train yet but he will be with us today.

"Alisson trained last week and this week so he will be able to play tomorrow if things work out well today.

"If he's ready to play, he will start.

"But we do have some issues after the international break, unfortunately. Conor Bradley is not able to play and Florian Wirtz is not able to play.

"That's far from ideal."

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool

More from Liverpool manager Arne Slot on dealing with grief: "It is good for us to remember him [Diogo Jota] at all times it is possible because of the person and player he was.

"It is impossible to measure what it does to the players and to our results. The last thing I would do is use it as an excuse.

"I don't know. What I do know is that we miss the player, that is 100% sure, and we miss the person, but I cannot measure the impact that has on our results.

"That is impossible for me to say and we will never use it as an excuse."

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on dealing with grief after Andy Robertson's interview talking about Diogo Jota: "We are always judged, sometimes fair, sometimes not fair.

"But I saw the interview live and I know that it is an issue for us, which is completely normal. At this moment in time, I always think how must it feel for his wife and his children?

"Because it is so, so, so much harder for them than it is for us. But that we will miss the player and the person is completely clear.

"Now we play Nottingham Forest, last season there we were 1-0 down and it only took him [Jota] one minute to score the equaliser. So now I am talking about the player that we miss for sure.

"That we also miss him as a person is also clear."

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on trying to retain the title: "I've said many times, at this moment in time we are not thinking or talking about it.

"Same last season when we were top of the league, it is just about the next game.

"The best way to judge a league table is after 38 games. The next best, in my opinion, is after 19 games. Let's see where we are then.

"For now, the only focus we have is on winning games of football."

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot confirmed that goalkeeper Alisson Becker was back fit and training with the squad.

More to follow.

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on potential January transfer signings: "This is one of the questions I didn't expect. There are so many games before that.

"In the position that we are in, it's the last thing on my mind. Maybe not for Richard [Hughes, sporting director] but it's not a topic at all for me at the moment.

"We have three centre-backs, maybe Ryan [Gravenberch] and Wata [Endo] as well. Maybe you are not aware of it yet, but we have other positions that are maybe more of an issue."

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said he saw the interview Andy Robertson gave on Diogo Jota and the grief he was struggling with in the run up to Scotland's win over Denmark in World Cup qualifying.

He spoke about how important a role Jota played last season on the football pitch, but also accepts that the players and staff also miss him as a person.

Slot said it was impossible to measure what affect grief had on his players but he would never use that as an excuse for poor results.

More to follow.

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot kicked off with a question whether he is thinking about signing a centre-half in January.

He said that was the last thing on his mind as his side face the busy festive period.

Slot's only focus is on winning games of football, he says.

More to follow.

Liverpool

Some points there that Liverpool manager Arne Slot will surely be asked to address in today's news conference.

The Dutchman is coming up shortly.

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This is a hard one to call. Liverpool have lost seven of their past 10 matches in all competitions, but could they be one of the teams who benefit from the international break?

Forest beat them at Anfield last season - I was there for Radio 5 Live - but that was under Nuno, and they are yet to win anywhere on the road in this campaign.

I don't see that changing this weekend, either. Sean Dyche has picked up some points at the City Ground since he took over as Forest boss at the end of October, but they are meek away from home and I don't see them keeping Liverpool out.

Liverpool have to click sooner or later, and if their attack gets going here then they could overpower my boyhood club.

Mo Salah needs to come to the fore for Arne Slot's side, and so does Alexander Isak.

For someone who forced his move to Liverpool through in the summer, Isak has done very little for his new club so far.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool

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Liverpool will hope it's a fresh start after the international break and getting goalkeeper Alisson Becker back from injury might help.

Arne Slot will certainly be asked about the Brazilian's fitness after a hamstring injury.

Jeremie Frimpong has also been out with a hamstring issue so we can expect an update on him, while we should find out where Alexander Isak is up to after playing half an hour for Sweden last weekend.

The striker is on his way back after a groin injury and didn't feature in Sweden's second match of the international window on Tuesday.

Image source, Getty Images

It's been a case of feast or famine for defending champions Liverpool this season, which started with five consecutive victories but has gone alarmingly downhill since then.

Six defeats in their last seven Premier League games has left Arne Slot's side with a mountain to climb to get back into the title race.

They face Nottingham Forest on Saturday, one of three matches in their next four fixtures against sides in the bottom half.

Does the fightback start here?

Craig Nelson
BBC Sport reporter

You can tell our readers are itching to talk about the north London derby.

That chat will dominate our page after midday.

But first we are going to focus on defending champions Liverpool, who find themselves down in eighth place in the table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal after 11 games...