Arne Slot Confirms Mo Salah's Limited Return For Liverpool Against Aston Villa

Arne Slot has provided a significant fitness update ahead of Liverpool’s crucial Premier League encounter away at Aston Villa on Friday night. 

While talismanic forward Mohamed Salah is prepared to make his return following a two-match injury absence, the Reds may be forced to navigate the fixture without influential playmaker Florian Wirtz due to a sudden illness.

Triple Fitness Boost

Liverpool’s attacking and defensive options have been bolstered by the news that Salah is fit to travel to the West Midlands after recovering from a muscle injury. 

The Egyptian international’s return coincides with positive news regarding Ibrahima Konate, who has resumed full training following a minor scare during last weekend's victory over Chelsea. 

Furthermore, goalkeeper Alisson Becker has returned to first-team training, though his participation remains subject to a late assessment to determine if he is ready for competitive action.

Slot Provides Squad Update

Addressing the media during his pre-match press conference this morning, Slot outlined the varying availability within his squad for the penultimate away fixture. 

Slot confirmed: "Mo will be available tomorrow for only a few minutes, but hopefully can come in.

"Ibou [Konate] is OK, trained with us. Alisson trains with us again, let’s see where he is tomorrow, if he is ready already or has to wait one more week."

Late Illness Concern

While the return of senior figures provides optimism, the availability of 2025 summer signing Wirtz is uncertain due to a medical issue that has hampered his preparations. 

Slot elaborated on the Germany international's condition and said: "Stomach infection, so let’s see how fit he is for tomorrow. He’s on antibiotics. Let’s see if he’s ready to play tomorrow."

Top Four Spot On The Line

Should Wirtz miss out, Liverpool will lose a key creative spark against a Villa side also pushing for a top four finish. 

The Reds will seal Champions League qualification and all-but secure fourth place if they beat Villa, with the two sides currently locked on 59 points each. 

Fifth place will also be enough to get into Europe's elite competition, but Bournemouth could mathematically still swoop in to steal that spot as it stands.

2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11–July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).

The opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream for free on Tubi, as well as the USA's opening match against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).