Liverpool manager Arne Slot says the club are looking into goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s injury issues.

The Brazil international suffered a hamstring injury in a win at Crystal Palace on 5 October and is expected to be sidelined until at least the next international break, in mid-November.

Alisson has already missed two games this season through injury and was out for just over two months from February to April last season.

“It’s a bit uncommon for goalkeepers,” said Slot. “For me, it’s common because the goalkeeper I had at Feyenoord [Justin Bijlow] also had his issues with injury, also muscle injuries. That’s not what you see a lot, so these two are more of an exception.

“We are looking into it and what could be the reason.

“One of the things that we all know is that if you’ve had one, then the chances of getting another one always go up so we’ve tried to be really careful with him.”

Alisson, 32, will miss his side’s league game against Chelsea on Sunday along with top-flight matches against Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa, Champions League meetings with RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen and a Carabao Cup game against Brighton.

Caoimhin Kelleher is expected to deputise for the Reds.

Alisson played in a Champions League tie on the Wednesday evening before getting injured in a game which kicked off at 12:30 BST at Palace, and Slot believes such a short turnaround in fixtures is an issue that should be looked into.

“The 12:30 kick-off is not a problem because we train at the same time but what might be something to think about for the English FA [is that] if you play a Champions League game on a Wednesday evening and then to play on Saturday at 12:30 might be a disadvantage when it comes to injuries,” said the Dutchman.

“The time to play at 12:30 for me is not a problem at all but, if you play so shortly after playing on a Wednesday evening, that might be also something that we take into consideration.”

Liverpool host Chelsea at 16:30 BST on Sunday before a Champions League game away at RB Leipzig on Wednesday.

Slot added: “What is very good in Holland is that I’m 99.9% sure that all the teams that play in the Champions League in the upcoming week don’t play on a Sunday.

“They get extra rest to prepare in the best possible way for the Champions League game. That is not something that is common here in England.”

Factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia said he felt “calm” throughout second practice for the Australian Grand Prix despite spending most of the incident-filled hour in apparent danger of missing out on a place in Q2.

After an early technical problem forced him to switch bikes as dark clouds threatened to drench the Phillip Island track at any moment, Bagnaia was then interrupted by a red flag.

This meant a third of the session was gone before Bagnaia began to set representative lap times. He then scraped into the top 10, but was subsequently bumped out of it twice. He finally set a time good enough for fifth just before yellow flags came out with three minutes to go.

While Bagnaia’s championship rival Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) had similar woes early on following a crash at the start of the session, the points leader appeared to get up to speed and secure his Q2 spot much faster than the reigning world champion.

But what looked like a worrying situation from the outside was nothing of the sort, according to Bagnaia.

“I had a little issue with the first bike so I had to change to the other one,” explained Bagnaia. “But then everything was fine: we understood very quickly what to do on the bike.

“I saw that Jorge crashed when I was [also] having problems. I thought ‘okay, if I am out of Q2 because of the rain, then it will be the same for him’. So I did a very calm session.”

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

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Bagnaia suggested that his late lap did not represent the limit of his performance, as the yellows caused by Aprilia wildcard Lorenzo Salvadori at Doohan meant he couldn’t show his best with another lap.

“I never felt problems or that we were [close to missing out on Q2].

“I was improving exit by exit. The last exit I did with the used soft was very good, and then with the new soft I was just unlucky with the yellow flags.

“The first lap was very fast, but normally you improve a lot on the second lap here.

“But it was enough to be in the top 10 so I’m happy! And we already know what to do for tomorrow.”

As for Bagnaia’s relatively slow rise to the top compared to some of the field, the Italian revealed that some of this had to do with unavoidable GP24 set-up work.

“We started with the same setting as 2023 but the GP24 has less traction and more weight on the front. So we needed to change it a bit to move the balance,” he said.

“It was a good thing we did it today, but it was difficult to do. It was a step that [ideally] needed more time.”

This may go some way to explaining why GP23 bikes filled the first three positions in practice, as well as why pace-setter Marc Marquez expects the latest-spec Ducatis to make a big step on Saturday.

The upbeat Bagnaia was a fan of the new track surface: “This afternoon was maybe the best conditions I ever had at Phillip Island. It was sunny, no wind, the grip was very high.

“The new asphalt is very good, apart from the bumps!”

SNOOKER legend Ronnie O’Sullivan revealed he would have loved to be a professional race car driver if he could start over again.

O’Sullivan, 48, is one of the sport’s all-time greatest having won the World Snooker Championship seven times, which is a joint record he shares with Stephen Hendry.

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However, that is not the only sport the Rocket is passionate about as he admitted he loves fast cars.

So much so that he even suggested he would have loved to give Formula One a crack if he never pursued a career at the Crucible.

O’Sullivan told The Express: “What music is to Steve Davis, racing cars is to me.

“If I had my time again, I would probably have chosen a different sport, like Formula One – or just racing cars.

“It wouldn’t have to be Formula One. It could be anything because I think, genuinely, that’s what I love. Driving. Fast.

“Not piddling around at 20 miles per hour. That gives me brain damage. But get me on a track and, yeah, I love it.”

O’Sullivan’s passion for fast cars is well known as he boasts a stunning collection of swanky cars, which includes a £180k Ferrari and a £183k Bentley.

The Wordsley star has even appeared on Top Gear where he showcased his driving abilities.

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And the snooker great even suggested that once he hangs up his stick he might actually give car racing a go.

O’Sullivan added: “There is always that possibility. Something once I’m fully done with snooker and I’ve got time I’ll definitely get into, but in the meantime I’m maybe going to do a few trips around Europe.

“I’m 49 in a couple of months so I’ve got 20, 25 good years left in me. I don’t think I want to be playing snooker for the rest of my life so how do I reinvent the next 25 years?

“How do I want them to look? I don’t want to end up playing snooker and that’s all I’ve done for my whole life, so I think it’s about the next step now.”

‘Smoking too much weed and bulk-buying too much Smirnoff’ – Inside Ronnie O’Sullivan’s yo-yo health battle

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RONNIE O’SULLIVAN’S snooker career almost went up in smoke after buying “too much weed and Smirnoff.”

Ronnie has long linked his performances on the baize with the ups and down in his diet and exercise regime.

The Rocket he has suffered a lifetime of yo-yoing weight, addiction and mental health struggles, and an often unhealthy relationship with food and fitness.

O’Sullivan ballooned to 16st on vodka and takeaways as a troubled teen, while “puffing like a maniac”.

Then, after turning his life around, he even saw his form decline after doing to TOO MUCH exercise.

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Now right back to his best, the seven-time world champion has opened up on his struggles.

Read more: Ronnie O’Sullivan’s yo-yo health battles – from ballooning to 16st on Smirnoff to ‘wrecking game’ by dieting TOO much

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe says he was not contacted by the Football Association during their recent hunt for a new England manager.

The FA on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Thomas Tuchel, with chief executive Mark Bullingham saying they “interviewed approximately 10 people” including “some English candidates”.

Howe, one of only three English managers currently in the Premier League, confirmed on Friday he was not among them.

Asked if he was interviewed for the England job, he said: “I was not. There was no contact from the FA.”

Questioned on whether this bothered him, Howe said: “England have to do what is right for them and only they will know the processes they have gone through and the decisions they have made. I am certainly not the type of person that is going to analyse that.

“For me, it’s about Newcastle and trying to win games and it’s hard enough to do that if you are 100% focused, and I will always remain that way to my work. If you drop your levels, then the job becomes impossible and at no stage have I allowed myself to do that.”

Marc Marquez has admitted that circumstances at Phillip Island played into his hands perfectly as he went fastest on a curtailed first day of the MotoGP Australian Grand Prix.

Marquez led his brother and Gresini Ducati team-mate Alex in a 1-2 in second practice after the morning FP1 session was abandoned due to heavy rain.

With the skies darkening above the oceanside track at the start of the afternoon session, there was no time for settling in or toying with set-ups on the resurfaced circuit. Rain was feared at any moment, so it was important to bank dry lap times up front.

The elder Marquez was fastest into the groove and was able to respond to every threat, including when Jack Miller (KTM) and Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) briefly hit the top. His best time, set at the end of the session, was a 1m27.770s.

“We can say that today these were my conditions,” admitted the 31-year-old, who won three MotoGP races at Phillip Island during his Honda years. “One of my strong points is adapting well and quickly to the conditions.

“I think the fact that we didn’t ride in FP1 and went into [second] practice straight away…the grip was improving a lot…and then you need to adapt to the conditions.

“I feel good, but I think the others will make a big step tomorrow. Especially Jorge Martin.”

Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

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Unlike his brother, Alex Marquez only appeared at the top of the timesheets late in the session, when he registered a lap just over a tenth of a second shy of the six-time MotoGP champion.

What the siblings had in common, however, was that both thought the lost FP1 gave them an edge over the field.

“It was a short day, but when we have short days, normally it’s better for me,” said Alex, whose form has been patchy this season and whose only podium came in Germany in July. “I don’t know why, but when I spend more time on track it’s worse for me.

“Yesterday I said I needed to have fun on the bike again. And today I did. I had a good feeling from the very first lap. The set-up was working, the bike was working, and I was able to find the limit.

“It’s nice, but it’s just Friday. There’s a lot we need to understand still. If tomorrow is dry, I think pole will be in the 1m26s [bracket]. And it will be important to try the tyres. So tomorrow will not be easy.”

Like his younger brother, Marc Marquez also feels Saturday morning’s session will be crucial in terms of tyre data given the loss of FP1 and some unknowns around the rears Michelin has brought to Phillip Island.

“Tomorrow the most important thing will be to understand the rear tyre,” said Marc. “That’s where we will try to choose the correct option for the race.

“I only tried the soft today but I see that some people tried the medium. Now it’s time to analyse, which we will try to do tomorrow.”

The new surface, which was praised by the riders after their first run on it on Friday, adds another variable at a track where a highly asymmetrical tyre is called for.

Further complication is likely to come from a big temperature drop on Saturday. Some rain is also expected to be in the air, along with strong winds.