Girona vs Liverpool LIVE: Latest Champions League score and updates

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has branded tonight’s visit as a ‘special occasion’ for their opponents.

“It feels really good to have Alisson back, we didn’t want to take any risk at all,” he told TNT Sports. “Now he is completely ready to start.

“This is a special occasion for Girona. It is always a special occasion for the team we face and it is nice to be in the position we are in in the Champions League.

“Our players are so experienced, they know what it means to play Champions League for this club. I assume they are ready for it, they have to be. The style of Girona is something we have to be aware of.”

It’s been 656 days since Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson started together for Liverpool.

The quintet line-up for the Reds tonight as Arne Slot looks to maintain his 100 per cent record in the Champions League.

If Jurgen Klopp turned mantras into catchphrases and vice-versa, Arne Slot has a less memorable way with words. Klopp talked of mentality monsters, of turning doubters into believers, of their identity being intensity, of Liverpool 2.0. Slot talks about not getting carried away. A lot. Which, in part, is because his start, of 18 wins in 21 games, could give supporters and his squad alike licence to do just that.

In his attempt to downplay everything, Slot often mentions that his players are accustomed to being top of the Premier League. Perhaps it suits him, too, that a lead has been trimmed from nine points to seven and then, without Liverpool playing, to four. Yet they are not accustomed to being top of the Champions League: not like this, anyway. A core of them have won the competition, in 2019. Some have won a group. But not a 36-team group, not one that contains everyone.

The Liverpool boss said: “It is a healthy competition between Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo. Our fans saw a few times already Luis Diaz playing as No.9 as well in one or two games this season.

“For the last five, six, seven or eight weeks we’ve had four players available for three positions, so we’ve rotated once in a while mostly the left wing and the nine positions [and] our right winger has always been Mo Salah until now.

“They’ve both had a lot of starts, they’ve both been excellent for us – Luis Diaz and Cody – but the other two have done very well, also. I am happy about all four of them, but you’re asking me [specifically] about the Colombian and I am really happy with Luis Diaz for as long as I’ve been here.

“Excellent work-rate, big threat, great footwork, can score goals, so a very special player for us.”

Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch have played every minute of the Champions League campaign this season.

Mohamed Salah is a goal away from the total of 50 in his Champions League career, including qualifiers – with 43 of his 49 so far coming while with the Reds.

He has scored six times in his last five club games and the Egyptian is two goals away from joining Billy Liddell (228 goals) in joint-fourth place on Liverpool’s all-time goalscoring list.

Arne Slot’s side have played 447 minutes since last conceding a goal in the Champions League.

Liverpool are seeking to win each of their opening six games of a European campaign for only the second time ever. In 2021-22, they won all of their first seven fixtures.

The Reds have won 15 of their last 20 away Champions League matches, including 10 of the last 12.

A victory at Estadi Montilivi would be the Reds’ 150th in the competition overall (inclusive of wins by penalty shootout).