Arne Slot has confirmed that Federico Chiesa is in contention to make his Liverpool debut against AC Milan.

The Italian was not deemed fit enough to feature in the squad for the weekend’s defeat to Nottingham Forest, but he has travelled with his team-mates to Milan for the Reds’ opening Champions League fixture.

Having also missed out on representing his country during the recent international break, Chiesa is yet to make an appearance this season, following his summer move from Juventus for a fee in the region of £10 million.

Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s match at the San Siro on Tuesday night, Slot said the 26-year-old is not yet ready to make his first start for the club but could play a part from the bench.

“The reason we brought him in... I bring in quality players, and I believe he is one,” said Slot.

“He combines quality with work rate and embodies the culture of this club and team. He brings that with his ability to play in several positions. He is with the team, and as I’ve said, it is his first time here, so it would be a big surprise if he starts tomorrow.

“So, I don’t think you should expect him to start, but he will make an appearance if needed. Given that this is his first time with us, I don’t anticipate him starting. He’s had some time in training, but it’s too soon for him to play 90 minutes—hopefully, he can feature in upcoming matches.”

Liverpool made a perfect start under Slot with three wins before the international break, but they suffered a shock defeat on Saturday as Nottingham Forest secured their first win at Anfield since 1969.

The Reds were frustrated by the visitors in what was Slot’s first defeat in 30 matches, stretching back to a Champions League loss to Celtic last year when he was in charge of Feyenoord.

The Dutchman had named an unchanged Liverpool side for the third match in a row, despite the workload some players had faced during the international break. However, he refused to attribute the result to his team selection.

“If rotation were the reason we didn’t win the game, then last Saturday probably wouldn’t have been the first match I lost in 2024,” said Slot.

“It’s too simplistic to blame the defeat on a lack of rotation. I think it was because too many players didn’t perform to their usual standard. The style of play from the opponent made things really difficult for us.

“When you don’t win, you try to consider as many possible reasons as to why. I prefer to reflect on what we did well and what we didn’t. There were a lot of areas where we could have performed better, and those weren’t related to rotation. But again, it’s impossible to say what would have happened if I had rotated the squad.

“I can make changes in the upcoming fixtures, but before the weekend, many players were away with their national teams. In my opinion, this defeat had nothing to do with rotation—it was down to the opposition and too many of our players not delivering their best.”