EPL: Jota’s absence felt deeply by Liverpool, says Slot

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has opened up about the profound impact of losing Diogo Jota, saying the club misses him both on and off the pitch.

The Portuguese winger tragically died in a car accident last summer at the age of 28.

His former Liverpool teammate Andy Robertson revealed that he had been “in bits” on Tuesday before Scotland’s thrilling victory over Denmark secured their place at the 2026 World Cup.

According to BBC Sport on Friday, Slot said: “I saw the interview [with Robertson] live and I know that it is an issue for us, which is completely normal.

“At this moment in time, I always think about how it must feel for his wife and his children?

“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.”

The Reds have lost four of their past five matches in the Premier League, and were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City at Etihad Stadium before the international break.

That defeat left Liverpool eighth in the table, eight points behind league leaders Arsenal, before they welcome Nottingham Forest to Anfield on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

In last season’s league fixture away at Forest, Jota scored 22 seconds after coming on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw.

“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,” said Slot.

“That we also miss him as a person is also clear.”

Slot confirmed goalkeeper Alisson Becker is available again, having been out for six weeks with a hamstring injury.

Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz are both unavailable for the visit of Forest with unspecified injuries.