Liverpool are preparing for their second Champions League clash against Italian opposition this week when they face off against Bologna at Anfield. The Reds claimed an emphatic 3-1 win over Serie A giants AC Milan at the San Siro in the opening game week, while Bologna were held to a 0-0 stalemate against Shakhtar Donetsk in their opening game.

Arne Slot's side were excellent in the win against Milan and have continued that fine form since with consecutive victories over Bournemouth, West Ham and Wolves, while Bologna claimed a 2-1 win over Monza before a draw with Atalanta despite playing 40 minutes with ten men.

Liverpool Team News

Federico Chiesa ruled out

While Liverpool claimed a hard-fought win over Wolves at the weekend in their most recent fixture, they had to do so without Uruguay international striker Darwin Nunez who missed the game through illness.

Nunez could be available for the clash after having extra days to recover and he has returned to training, but Harvey Elliott remains unavailable with a long-term injury. Portuguese forward Diogo Jota missed the final training session before the game with a foot injury picked up against Wolves, while Andy Robertson was in training after some doubts surrounding his fitness. Federico Chiesa was also missing from training after picking up a small knock.

Slot could look to make some changes to his team to freshen things up however, with a huge clash against Crystal Palace to come at the weekend before the international break. Curtis Jones, Jarrell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas and Cody Gakpo are all pushing for starts and this could be the perfect opportunity for the Dutch boss to take a closer look at his squad.

Slot Drops Team News Update

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Slot confirmed the health status of his squad ahead of the big Champions League clash.

Liverpool's Predicted XI

Gakpo and Jones to get rare starts

• Liverpool's Predicted XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.
• Liverpool's Predicted Substitutes Bench: Kelleher (GK), Jaros (GK), Robertson (DEF), Quansah (DEF), Bradley (DEF), Gomez (DEF), Endo (MID), Szoboszlai (MID), Morton (MID), Diaz (FWD), Jota (FWD)

Despite missing training on Tuesday morning, the club have said that the striker's foot injury was cleared in a scan and he missed out more due to precaution. It's unlikely that he gets called into the starting lineup then, especially with Nunez available again and so the former Benfica star should get the nod.

In midfield Szoboszlai has struggled to really adapt into the new number ten role in the system and it could provide an opportunity for Jones to get the nod and stake his claim for a place in the side.

Bologna Team News

Three set to miss out injured

It's been a difficult start to the season for Bologna after losing their manager Thiago Motta and star players Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori, with just one win in all competitions but also just one loss all season too.

They've been forced to adapt their style with star midfielder Lewis Ferguson missing with a serious knee injury, while Tommaso Pobega and Oussa El Azzouzi are also expected to miss the upcoming clash through injury. Striker Santiago Castro was forced off injured at the weekend but has travelled with the squad, while defender Jhon Lucumi is available despite his red card in the same game.

Italiano Issues Injury Update

Freuler should be fit

Speaking in his pre-game press conference on Tuesday evening, Italiano shared an update on the health status of his squad.

Bologna's Predicted XI

Ndoye to start out wide

Bologna's Predicted XI: Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Lucumi, Lykogiannis; Aebsicher, Freuler, Urbanski; Orsolini, Castro, Ndoye.

Bologna's Substitutes Bench: Ravaglia (GK), Bagnolini (GK), De Silvestri (DEF), Miranda (DEF), Holm (DEF), Erlic (DEF), Casale (DEF), Corazza (DEF) Moro (MID), Fabbian (MID), Karlsson (FWD), Illing-Junior (FWD), Odgaard (FWD), Dominguez (FWD), Dalligard (FWD).