Jurgen Klopp has conceded Diogo Jota will likely miss the Community Shield final for Liverpool, while Alisson "should be fit" to face Manchester City.
Jota sat out of the pre-season opener in Bangkok on Tuesday, a 4-0 defeat to Manchester United, before Alisson joined the forward on the injury list ahead of the 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Friday.
Klopp had previously suggested he was concerned by a recurrence of Jota's hamstring issues, the forward having initially aggravated the problem he suffered when away with Portugal on international duty in June.
After victory over Palace in Singapore, where Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson were on target, Klopp provided an update on the injured duo.
"Ali, I think, has the chance for City and Diogo not," Reds manager Klopp told reporters as he discussed the upcoming Community Shield on July 30.
"Ali, he feels a muscle, abdominal. It's nothing serious but, again, we prepare a full season. So he can train but just not like before, so he should not play in the moment. Not normal goalie training but he has a pre-season, so he doesn't lose time.
"But yeah, these kind of things happen. The boys have to travel a lot and train and you never know exactly.
"It's only little things, nothing serious but we have to be careful because the rest of the season is much longer than the start."
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was another to limp off in the pre-season clash with Patrick Vieira's side, and Klopp hopes the "top-class" England international will soon recover from a muscle injury setback.
"Of course, it's very disappointing for us because Oxlade trained all the time really well since the pre-season started," he added.
"It happened obviously with Ox in the past when it gets more intense and something can happen. Now this is just a muscle thing and that's OK. We had worse situations, so I'm OK with it.
"I don't know exactly how long it will take but he will be back and then it's all fine. He is obviously a top-class player and he can help us."
As injury fears mount, Klopp's attention turned to the upcoming Qatar World Cup, with July effectively serving as the first pre-season before unselected players will have to keep fitness across November and December.
Klopp, a regular critic of the Nations League and international football schedule, labelled this pre-season as like no other as he lamented the lack of concern for player welfare.
"Normally our pre-season is always the basis for the rest of the season, this time we have the first part of the season that's interrupted," he continued.
"We are already kind of used to it because with the pandemic we had breaks and starting again.
"So it's not completely new to us anymore and when these players have time off, for example, if they are not at the World Cup, they never have real time off, they have a training schedule to fulfil so they don't lose a lot in these periods, which is very important for us.
"That's why we can give them at least as long as possible time off with family and holiday and stuff like this, but they just need it.
"Apart from that, the World Cup is for all top teams in football pretty much the same, especially in England it's the same because we play immediately.
"If you are in the final or the third-place [game] then you play again a week later - and then you play 26th, 31st, 2nd and stuff like this.
"Obviously the guys in the Premier League like the spectacular. I've said it often enough, nobody really cares about the players in these moments but that's how it is."
Chelsea midfielder Fernandez undergoes groin surgery
Chelsea will be without Enzo Fernandez for their final six games of the season due to a groin issue.
Fernandez was forced off with an injury during Chelsea's 5-0 defeat at Arsenal on Tuesday.
And it has now been confirmed the 23-year-old World Cup winner has undergone surgery, and will subsequently miss the final month of Chelsea's campaign.
Fernandez has made 28 Premier League appearances this season, scoring three goals. Chelsea did not put a timeframe on his return, though Argentina will be hoping the former Benfica star is fit to feature in the Copa America, which begins in late June.
The Blues sit ninth in the table, though they do have games in hand on all of their rivals for European qualification.
Mauricio Pochettino's team take on Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa on Saturday, with fixtures against Tottenham, West Ham Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Bournemouth to follow.
D.C. United v Seattle Sounders: Jordan Morris reflects on ‘special’ moments with club-doctor father
Seattle Sounders star Jordan Morris reflected on the “special” nature of being able to share some incredible moments with his father Micheal, who is leaving his role as the team’s chief medical officer.
Dr Morris has been with the Sounders for 18 years.
However, Dr Morris is now calling time on his stint at the club.
Dr Morris’ son, Jordan, has established himself as a United States regular and a leading light in MLS, and the winger is delighted to have shared such a path with his father in close proximity.
“It's been special to share moments like after winning MLS Cup at home and after winning the Champions League at home,” said Jordan.
“We took pictures with the trophies together, He was in the locker room while we were celebrating and I think it's a really unique experience to kind of have him on the sidelines for all these games and something that not a lot of people get to experience, so I feel fortunate to have had him around.”
Dr Morris said: “It’s been a blessing. It’s a gift.”
“Being part of the Sounders has been the best thing in my professional career. It’s the most rewarding thing and I'll definitely miss it.”
Seattle have had a poor start to the season and sit 12th in the Eastern Conference. D.C., meanwhile, are 11th in the West.
Morris Jr said: “We know this stretch is huge. And playing two games on the road against really good teams is not going to be easy.”
“We have to find a way to turn that around.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
D.C. United – Christian Benteke
Benteke won 13 of 18 aerial duels for D.C. last time out, his fourth match this season with at least 13 aerial duels won, something no other player has done once this MLS season.
Seattle Sounders – Raul Ruidiaz
Ruidiaz is the Sounders’ leading scorer in MLS this term, with four goals. No other player has managed more than one.
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
D.C. ended a six-match losing streak against Seattle with a 2-0 home win the last time the sides met in September 2019. It was only D.C.’s third win in 15 all-time meetings with Seattle in all competitions (D2 L10).
Seattle’s six points through eight matches is the worst start to a season in the club’s MLS history. This is the first time the Sounders have not won at least two of their first eight games of an MLS season.
D.C. have suffered consecutive defeats for the first time since late August last year. United hasn’t lost more than two straight games since a four-match losing streak to end the 2022 season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
D.C. United – 36.1%
Seattle Sounders – 34.2%
Draw – 29.7%
Guardiola insists three teams still in title hunt despite Liverpool slip-up
Pep Guardiola insists Liverpool remain in the Premier League title race, despite the Reds losing further ground on Arsenal and Manchester City in a dramatic few days at the summit.
Liverpool suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Merseyside rivals Everton on Wednesday, a result which meant they failed to close the gap to Arsenal after the Gunners thrashed Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday.
While Jurgen Klopp's men couldn't respond to the Gunners pulling clear, City did on Thursday, with Phil Foden scoring twice in an emphatic 4-0 win over Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
One point behind Arsenal with a game in hand, City know five wins from their five remaining matches will seal an unprecedented fourth successive English top-flight title.
However, Guardiola expects further twists and turns in the coming weeks.
Asked if Liverpool were still in contention after City's win, Guardiola told Sky Sports: "Yeah. Many things can happen.
"What happened with Liverpool, losing to Crystal Palace and Everton, can happen to us. It can happen to Arsenal. No-one is safe. We have to rest. Now it is just about recovering for the next one.
"We have been here in the past but being here in the past doesn't mean it is going to happen. We have to do the things to make it happen."
City's comprehensive win – in which Kevin De Bruyne scored his first headed goal in the Premier League – saw them cut Arsenal's goal difference advantage to eight goals.
However, Guardiola believes it will be tough for City to close that gap, saying: "It is difficult to cut. The margin is so big. They score a lot of goals and don't concede.
"The main thing is to win the games. We have five games left and they are tough ones – it's a lot of games. We'll take it one game at a time."
Foden's first goal against Brighton – a deflected free-kick – saw him become just the third player to score 50 top-flight goals under Guardiola while aged 23 or younger, after Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi.
Foden is the favourite to be named Premier League Player of the Season, and while Guardiola believes he should be in contention, he says his player is more concerned with team honours.
"For sure, but he wants to win the Premier League," Guardiola said when asked if Foden deserved individual honours. "His influence in the final third was better than in the last two or three games. Today he was more calm, his decision-making was good and to score goals is always good."
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