Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, has not made the trip to Istanbul for the Champions League round of 16 first leg against Galatasaray due to an injury sustained during training.
The Brazilian international is reported to have experienced some minor discomfort following Monday’s training session at the AXA Training Centre, leading to the decision to keep him from traveling to Turkey to prevent aggravating the issue.
This marks the tenth match Alisson has missed this season due to injuries.
This situation opens the door for Giorgi Mamardashvili to take the field, marking his first game since the FA Cup victory over Barnsley two months ago, a match in which he made one of only ten starts since joining the team last summer.
Mamardashvili has, however, participated in four of the eight Champions League matches thus far, including a substitute appearance in the previous encounter against Galatasaray, a 1-0 loss in September when Alisson was also unavailable due to injury.
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The Georgia international has kept two clean sheets in his ten starts, including back-to-back matches against Real Madrid and Aston Villa in November while Alisson was recovering from a hamstring injury.
Liverpool’s only other notable absentee is forward Federico Chiesa, who was absent from training after being an unused substitute during Friday’s FA Cup match against Wolves.
Meanwhile, midfielder Alexis Mac Allister had to leave the game early due to a knee issue but was able to participate in training before traveling with the squad.