Girona vs Liverpool LIVE highlights and reaction from Champions ...
Liverpool is on the verge of booking its place in the last 16 of the Champions League after effectively securing a top-eight spot with a 1-0 win against Girona in Spain.
Mohamed Salah scored the winning goal from the spot after Donny van de Beek was penalized for bringing Luis Diaz down in the box, and although it wasn't the most impressive performance from the Reds, the result was all that mattered as Liverpool maintained its 100 per cent record in the competition.
The result means Arne Slot should be able to rest players in Liverpool's final two league-phase games, which should be a huge help given how hectic the team's schedule looks set to be during the second half of the campaign.
Another positive to come out of the game was the display of Alisson, who gave a typically reliable performance on his return to the side after more than two months out.
See how the game panned out and follow reaction below.
19:48KEY EVENT
See how we rated Liverpool's players against Atalanta here.
FT - GIR 0-1 LIVLiam Corless
There's your lot.
Another win for Arne Slot's men, who are as good as through to the last 16 of the Champions League after winning all six of their league-phase games.
The victory effectively gives Slot the luxury of being able to rest players in Liverpool's last two league-phase games, which could be important given how hectic the Reds' schedule is going to be during the second half of the season.
88' - GIR 0-1 LIVLiam Corless
Trent Alexander-Arnold tested the goalkeeper with a free-kick from distance a few moments ago but it was comfortably saved by Paulo Gazzaniga.
It's been a while since Girona had an attack of note, and the Reds are edging towards what would be a confidence-boosting clean sheet, particularly considering they have conceded at least two goals in each of their last four away games.
77' - GIR 0-1 LIVLiam Corless
Liverpool's lead remains one goal but Girona has not posed much of an attacking threat since going behind, and one more goal might just be enough to secure victory tonight.
Cody Gakpo is on for Darwin Nunez, who endured a forgettable evening, and we know how much the Dutchman loves a goal off the bench.
68' GIR 0-1 LIVLiam Corless
We'll never get tired of seeing pictures like these:
63' - GIR 0-1 LIVLiam Corless
The Reds take the lead from the spot.
A collision involving former Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek and Luis Diaz resulted in a VAR intervention, with the on-field referee sent to look at the incident on the screen before signalling for a penalty.
46' - GIR 0-0 LIVLiam Corless
Within 30 seconds of the restart, Alisson is forced to deny Arnaut Danjuma from close range, which certainly wouldn't have been one of the things Arne Slot asked for in his half-time team talk.
Danjuma's shot was straight down Alisson's throat, which made the save a straight-forward one for the Reds 'keeper.
18:40Liam Corless
"They're too chaotic. They've left themselves open at the back. They need to get back control and be a bit more dynamic in the second half."
Via TNT Sports
HT - GIR 0-0 LIVLiam Corless
Well, as far as goalless halves of soccer go, that was pretty good. More of the same in the second half, please.
40' - GIR 0-0 LIVLiam Corless
Shortly after I wrote that Liverpool was struggling to break Girona down, the Reds had three or four really promising openings; a couple of them fell to Darwin Nunez, who fluffed his lines, before Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson both saw shots blocked.
At the other end, Alisson is having a busy night on his return to the team and has stood up to everything he's faced so far.
It's a wonder this game is still 0-0.
30' - GIR 0-0 LIVLiam Corless
This has not been a free-flowing performance by Liverpool and the Reds have struggled to create much of note in the attacking third.
Girona looks well organized in defense and, as the previous blog entry noted, the Spanish side has created a few good attacking chances of its own.
The match is still young, though, and Liverpool has enough weapons on the pitch to change the game in the blink of an eye.
18' - GIR 0-0 LIVLiam Corless
It was all Liverpool in the first five minutes but the Girona players are showing they're not just here to make up the numbers.
Alisson has already been called into action several times, and at this moment in time it's fair to say the home side looks the more likely of the two teams to break the deadlock.
5' - GIR 0-0 LIVLiam Corless
We're a few minutes into the game and it's been all Liverpool so far, with Paulo Gazzaniga forced to produce a good stop in order to prevent the Reds from taking the lead with a header from a corner.
The man with the header? Joe Gomez, who has not scored a single goal since joining the Reds in 2015.
17:35Liam Corless
On having Alisson back in the team: "It feels really good. First of all for him but also for us. He's worked really hard to come back. We didn't want to take any risk, so that's why we didn't put him in earlier. Now, he is completely ready to start fitness wise."
On the atmosphere at Girona's stadium: "You can see they have all these flags over here, so it's a special occasion for them, but that's what it's like when Liverpool arrives anywhere in the world. For us, it's nice to be in the Champions League and the position we are in. We will try to continue our run."
On his players being up for the challenge: "They are so experienced, they've played in so many different stadiums, they know what it's like to play Champions League for this club. Some of them have won it, some of them have played finals, I assume they are ready for it. We have to be. The stadium is not that big but the style of play of Girona is something to be really aware of."
Via TNT Sports
17:21Liam Corless
It's been more than two months since Alisson last turned out for Liverpool but he's back between the sticks tonight.
17:16Liam Corless
No. No, they haven't.
This season, Girona is competing in Europe for the first time in its history, after the club recorded a third-place finish in La Liga last term.
17:07Liam Corless
Steve McManaman is on punditry duty for TNT Sports tonight and said that he thinks Saturday's postponement of the Merseyside derby was a good thing for Liverpool.
McManaman said: "With Everton off the back of their 4-0 win over Wolves and Liverpool coming off the back of the 3-3 draw against Newcastle, I think it's done them (Liverpool) the world of good, this little break."
17:07Matt Addison
Trent Kone-Doherty scored a late equalizer for 10-man Liverpool U19s against Girona earlier today. And results elsewhere mean that the young Reds have qualified for the knockout phase!
There are only six matches in the group phase of the U19 edition of the Champions League (as opposed to the eight in the senior version) and that's great news for Barry Lewtas' side.
Read the full report here.16:52Matt Addison
You'll recognize quite a few of these from their spells in the Premier League!
Girona starting XI: Gazzaniga, Alejandro Frances, Juanpe, Krejci, Blind, Van de Beek, Oriol Romeu, Miguel Gutierrez, Asprilla, Bryan Gil, Danjuma. Subs: P Lopez, L Garcia, Martinez, David Lopez, Stuani, Abel Ruiz, Solis, Martin, Portu, Selvi Clua, Kim, Jastin Garcia.
16:32KEY EVENT
Liverpool starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Subs:Kelleher, Jaros, Quansah, Elliott, McConnell, Endo, Norris, Gakpo.
Champions League team news in full.15:45Matt Addison
How should Arne Slot line up his team today? Alisson Becker surely starts and there must be a temptation to try Luis Diaz through the middle again to keep Cody Gakpo in the side.
Defensively, without many options, that could be interesting too. We'll find out what the Liverpool starting XI is in 45 minutes — and of course we'll let you know as soon as it drops!
14:56James Findlater
The door is open for Liverpool to sign Nico Williams, according to Spanish outlet TDF.
The Athletic Bilbao forward was linked with the Reds during the summer, particularly after his impressive showings for Spain at Euro 2024.
Barcelona was also said to be in the running, although with Raphinha showing great form this season, it’s suggested the Catalan club is unlikely to make a move for Williams. That could therefore allow Liverpool to make a move for the 22-year-old.
14:05James Findlater
Liverpool has been scouting Alphonso Davies ahead of a potential free transfer next summer, according to Football Insider.
The Bayern Munich star is out of contract at the end of the current season and will be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement from January unless he signs a new deal at the Allianz Arena.
Real Madrid though is said to be leading the race for Davies’ signature. It is claimed that there would be hefty signing-on fee involved, with the 24-year-old also demanding high wages, although Liverpool supposedly feels it would be able to reach an agreement that works for both parties.
13:26James Findlater
A late Trent Kone-Doherty equalizer saw Liverpool U19s rescue a 2-2 draw against Girona in their UEFA Youth League encounter in Spain.
Jayden Danns had earlier given the visitors the lead from the penalty spot, but the young Reds fell behind in the second half after being reduced to 10 men following Ranel Young's red card.
Kone-Doherty though was on hand to equalize with around seven minutes remaining. Liverpool will now have to wait to find out whether they've done enough to reach the next round.
12:02James Findlater
Liverpool U19s are ahead in their UEFA Youth League encounter with Girona at half-time - although they are also down to 10 men.
Jayden Danns' penalty is all that separates the two sides at the break, but Ranel Young has been sent off, so there is plenty of work for the youngsters to do if they're to see out the win.
11:47James Findlater
Despite getting another call-up to first team training, Liverpool fans won’t be seeing Rio Ngumoha make his Champions League debut any time soon.
The 16-year-old has traveled to Girona today, although only for the U19s' Youth League game, with UEFA rules preventing him from for playing for the senior team.
Having only joined Liverpool from Chelsea in September, Ngumoha is ineligible for the Reds' List B, meaning he will have to wait until the knockout stages if he is to make his Champions League debut this season.
10:49James Findlater
Liverpool hero John Aldridge has backed the club’s owners FSG as contract discussions step up with Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah.
Writing in his column for the ECHO, the former striker said:
You have to trust owners Fenway Sports Group to get it right with the ongoing contract sagas at Liverpool,” Aldridge said. “We know they are all in talks with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold and hopefully there has been some real progress. They are now so close to being able to hear what is on the table from other clubs and supporters are becoming nervous.
10:09James Findlater
Fans on both sides of the Atlantic will be able to catch today's game in Spain as Liverpool continues its Champions League campaign.
It's the first time the Reds have ever faced Girona, and they will be big favorites to make it six wins out of six, which should be enough to book their place in the last-16 of the competition.
Fans in the UK will be able to watch the game on TNT Sports, while supporters in the US can stream the game live on Paramount+ and TUDN USA.
Find out more on how to watch Girona vs Liverpool, whether you're in the US or the UK, right here.
09:35James Findlater
Arne Slot's side for today's game largely picks itself, although he does have a couple of decisions to make in defense and attack.
Alisson looks set to return in goal, while Dominik Szoboszlai should start alongside Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch in midfield. It's a toss-up between Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah to start alongside Virgil van Dijk, and we've gone for the latter on this occasion.
That just leaves two to pick out of Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz to start with Mohamed Salah in attack. With Slot not looking to make too many changes, we've stuck with Nunez and Gakpo from last week's draw with Newcastle.
Liverpool team vs Girona predicted: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Nunez.
08:42James Findlater
Arne Slot looks likely to restore Alisson Becker to his team today, having confirmed the Brazilian is fit to start against Girona.
The Liverpool boss has previously made it clear Alisson will reclaim his No.1 spot from Caoimhin Kelleher, although he did admit it will be tough for him to better the Irishman's recent performances:
I think it speaks for itself, if you can play with Alisson, who has been so outstanding for this club for so many years, and for the Brazil national team, that is definitely nice to have him back and have him available.
But, if you then look at how his replacement did, it’s not going to be easy to do it even better, so we expect definitely the same, and maybe on margins a bit better, but Caoimhin did so well that we can say we have two very good goalkeepers.
For so many years, Alisson has been outstanding for the club that we are hoping and expecting him to do the same in the upcoming months.
