Liverpool have been hit by the news that goalkeeper Alisson is set to miss multiple matches, with head coach Arne Slot confirming the 33-year-old is unlikely to return for the first match after the international break, when his side take on Manchester United on 19 October.
"Alisson is not part of the squad tomorrow [to face Chelsea] and he won't travel to Brazil for the national team," Slot said in his pre-match press conference.
"I would be surprised if he would be there in the first game after the international break. From there on things can go a bit faster or a bit slower, but for the upcoming games he will not be part of us or the Brazil team."
Some reports also suggest that the Brazilian could be out for six weeks.
Alisson was withdrawn with a hamstring injury during Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League and was replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was signed in the August 2024, but joined the club this summer.
The fixtures that Alisson is set to miss include trips to Chelsea, Brentford and Manchester City in the Premier League, as well as home matches with Man Utd and Aston Villa. In the Champions League, the Brazilian would be out of a visit to Eintracht Frankfurt and a home tie with Real Madrid.
So how will Alisson's absence affect a Liverpool side who have lost their last two matches after a perfect start to the season, and who is his replacement from Georgia?
Watch: Slot on Mamardashvili ahead of Premier League debut
Defensive deterioration without Alisson
A look at Liverpool’s statistics in the Premier League since Alisson first played for them in 2018 suggest a slight decline in their defensive abilities, although they have enjoyed a better points record.
With him between the posts, Liverpool average 2.2 points per match from the 235 fixtures he has started. That climbs to 2.38 in the 37 games he has not started. But Alisson’s replacements have not been able to match his shot-stopping qualities when called upon.
Liverpool’s average Expected Goals Against (xGA) metric - which measures the quality of the shots faced and the likelihood of the goalkeeper saving them - is 1.05 when Alisson starts, but he actually concedes only 0.9 per match on average, less than he is expected to.
His replacements, however, have conceded 1.27 goals a match, when the data suggests that they are expected to let in 1.12, so an underperformance.
As well as his prowess with his gloves, Alisson is strong with his feet and Liverpool’s goalkeeper passing stats do decline when he does not start.
Alisson’s passing accuracy is 83.4 per cent, while his replacements’ is 76.7 per cent. And while they are able to make the same average of long passes a match (3.9) as Alisson, his replacements need to attempt more of them (11.1 per match to Alisson’s 8.8) to achieve the same rate of success.
Liverpool in PL with/without Alisson
| Alisson starting | Alisson not starting | |
| 235 | Games | 37 |
|---|---|---|
| 156 | Wins | 27 |
| 49 | Draws | 7 |
| 30 | Losses | 3 |
| 2.20 | Pts/match | 2.38 |
| 66.4% | Win ratio | 73.0% |
| 0.90 | Goals conceded/90 | 1.27 |
| 1.05 | Expected Goals Against/90 | 1.12 |
| 2.5 | Saves/90 | 2.6 |
| 73.3% | Save % | 66.7% |
| 31.2 | Passes/90 | 31.9 |
| 26.1 | Successful passes/90 | 24.5 |
| 83.4% | Pass accuracy | 76.7% |
| 8.8 | Long passes/90 | 11.1 |
| 3.9 | Success long passes/90 | 3.9 |
| 44.4% | Long pass accuracy | 35.0% |
Who is Alisson's replacement Giorgi Mamardashvili?
Mamardashvili was born in Tbilisi, Georgia's capital on 29 September 2000, and started in the academy of FC Gagra before moving to Dinamo Tbilisi.
He played his first senior football at FC Rustavi and Locomotiv Tbilisi, before moving to Valencia, in the summer of 2021.
He became the club’s No 1 the following season and in February 2024, broke Valencia’s record for the most consecutive LaLiga outings as a goalkeeper, surpassing Jose Manuel Ochotorena's run of 59.
That season, his 13 LaLiga clean sheets was a record for the club and Mamardashvili's 21 saves in the summer's UEFA EURO 2024 were the joint-most by a goalkeeper in a group stage at the tournament.
It meant he was rewarded with a nomination for the 2024 Yashin Trophy, given to the world's best men's goalkeeper. He also was named Georgian Footballer of the Year for 2024, beating the holder Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
That summer Mamardashvili agreed a deal to join Liverpool for the 2025/26 season.
“It’s a dream come true for me.” ❤️
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 14, 2025
Our first interview with Giorgi Mamardashvili ⤵️
He said he has taken the No 25 shirt for sentimental reasons. "My father was a goalkeeper as well, so he played with 25," he told Liverpool’s website. "I continue this legacy, I guess."
Mamardashvili made his Liverpool debut when he started the EFL Cup third-round match at home to Southampton last week, which was won 2-1.