Liverpool could be without striker Diogo Jota when they face Premier League leaders Brentford on Saturday.
Jota scored 22 seconds after coming on as a substitute against Nottingham Forest in midweek, his header securing a point for Arne Slott's side.
Liverpool enters the weekend four points ahead of Arsenal, but may have to do without the Portuguese striker.
“There's no doubt about his (Jota's) importance to us but he wasn't training, so we have to see today where he is,” Slott said.
Arne Slott has confirmed that we will assess Diogo Jota's fitness to determine if he can be involved in Saturday's trip to Brentford ⤵️
– Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 17, 2025
“It's not certain he'll be available tomorrow, we'll see today. He felt a bit of pain when he got on the pitch, and he had a bit of pain during the half-hour he was at Forest. He finished the game but complained a bit about it. We'll see tomorrow.”
Brentford have a good record of scoring early goals this season, with Liverpool conceding the first goal in five of their last seven Premier League matches.
Slott says he expects the second half of the season to be tougher and pointed to Southampton's performance in their final defeat to Manchester United on Thursday as evidence of what's in store for the leading side.
He added: “This season shows the strength of the English Premier League.”
“It was a big surprise to see Southampton competing with Manchester United for so long, so winning the second half of the season is harder than the first half.
“Teams are together longer, others are bringing in players and teams are fighting for Europe, titles, staying in the league; Brentford are an example of a team that was really strong in the first half.
“They've been a very good team for a few years now. They've shown it.”
Young striker Jayden Danes impressed from the bench during the FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley and is one of the players linked with a loan move from Anfield this month.
Slott says he has a lot to think about about the 19-year-old's future.
He said: “I think you take a lot of things into consideration when you want to loan someone out. Is this good for the player? Yes or no. Do we still need him?”
“We have two or three in the ninth position and we don't expect Jota to be out for a long time. We hope to see him on the field soon
“Jayden did well when he arrived, so we have four options and we have to make the right decisions.”
