LIVERPOOL, England: Premier League leaders Liverpool will be without Trent Alexander-Arnold on Sunday when they travel to Southampton, manager Arne Slot said, adding that goalkeeper Alisson had returned to training but was not ready to play.

“Trent’s not training with us, but he’s getting there to be back with us soon,” Slott told reporters Friday.

Alexander-Arnold withdrew from England’s squad for the recent international break after picking up a hamstring injury against Aston Villa on November 9, while Reds number one goalkeeper Alisson also ruled out with injury of the hamstring, he has not played since October 5.

“We’re careful with everybody, especially when it comes to muscle injuries,” Slot said of the goaltender. “Alisson is training with the goalkeepers but not with the team. He is getting better but he is not ready for Sunday.”

Slot said Virgil van Dijk is set to train with the team on Friday and will be fit to play on Sunday, while injured strikers Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa should return in the “coming weeks”.

Liverpool have a five-point lead over champions Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table and will thus remain at the top regardless of the weekend’s results.

Southampton are bottom of the table with four points.

However, the Reds’ injuries are a blow ahead of a much more difficult run of games, including a Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday and a league clash against City at Anfield on December 1.

“We have an incredible fixture list, starting with Southampton. This is the most important one, the next one,” Slot said. “The other two games have no effect on my team selection, but what does influence is Southampton – how they play, how fit they are.”

Southampton have won just once in the Championship this season, a 1-0 win over Everton on November 2, but Slott is not taking them lightly.

“I would say Southampton are more than a capable team. I’ve seen them play against City, Arsenal and Wolves. They are very, very capable of playing teams like us,” Slot said.

“They were a bit unlucky and they have a very good style of play. Everyone says City and Real are difficult, but I think Southampton will be difficult too.”