Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says his team is missing Diogo Jota, both as a player and as a person.
Portuguese winger died in a car accident last summer at the age of 28.
His former Liverpool team-mate Andy Robertson said that “was in disarray” throughout the day on Tuesday before Scotland secured their place at the 2026 World Cup, exciting win over Denmark that night.
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“I couldn't get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head today,” Robertson said.
“We talked so much about going to the World Cup because he missed the last match against Portugal and I missed the last match against Scotland. I know he'll be smiling at me today.”
Slot said: “I saw the interview [with Robertson] live, and I know that this is a problem for us, and this is completely normal.
“At this moment I always think, what must it be like for his wife and children?
“It’s so, so, much harder for them than for us. But it is clear that we will miss the player and the person.”
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The Reds have lost four of their last five Premier League matches and were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium before the international break.
The defeat left Liverpool eighth in the table, eight points behind league leaders Arsenal, before they host Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday (1500 GMT).
In last season's Championship game away to Forest, Jota scored 22 seconds after coming on as a substitute in a 1-1 draw.
“Now we play Nottingham Forest, last season we lost 1-0 and it only took him [Jota] one minute to level the score. So now I’m talking about a player that we are definitely missing,” said Slot.
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“That we also miss him as a person is also obvious.”
Slot confirmed that goalkeeper Alisson Becker is available again after six weeks out with a hamstring injury.
Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz are unavailable for Forest due to unspecified injuries.
