Isak, Alisson unlikely for Liverpool's clash against Villa

LIVERPOOL, England :Liverpool head into Saturday's Premier League clash with Aston Villa desperate to halt a miserable run of six defeats in their last seven outings across all competitions, but manager Arne Slot faces a selection headache.

Injured striker Alexander Isak and goalkeeper Alisson have yet to return to training, and Slot told reporters on Friday he was "99.9 per cent sure (they are) not in the squad on Saturday".

Midfielder Ryan Gravenberch could feature after training on Thursday in a bit of good news for Slot's reigning champions whose slump has them seven points behind league leaders Arsenal in seventh in the standings and facing a string of tough games.

"In the end phase of the injury, things can slow down a bit or things can go faster but Ryan trained with us yesterday and he will train with us today and then we will make the call whether he is able to start," Slot said.

Villa have won their last four league matches and are one place behind Slot's team in the table, but level on points.

Liverpool then host LaLiga leaders Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday before travelling to fifth-place Manchester City on November 9.

The Merseyside team's troublesome start, which included an ugly fourth-round League Cup exit on Wednesday in a 3-0 defeat by Crystal Palace, comes despite the club spending 446 million pounds ($599 million) on new recruits in the close season.

However, Slot said he was pleased with his squad.

"We miss nothing," he said. "I am completely happy with the team and with all the quality that we have and I am also completely convinced by the strategy and the policy that we have, but not all of them have had a proper pre-season or have been injured.

"When three or four are injured you go back