Liverpool defender Joel Matip will miss Wednesday’s Champions League match against Red Bull Salzburg.
The 28-year-old Cameroon centre-back picked up an injury in Saturday’s Premier League win against Sheffield United.
In Matip’s absence, Joe Gomez is set to be recalled to partner Virgil van Dijk at centre-back. Joe Gomez has partnered Van Dijk previously and has first team experience, so Liverpool should not be worried about Matip’s absence.
Goalkeeper Alisson is back in training after a calf injury but is not fit to play, which means that Spanish Goalkeeper Adrian is most likely to start in goal, while playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri is also still out with a calf problem.
“With Joel, it is not a big one but it is big enough that he is not available,” said Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, who added he did not know if Matip will be fit to face Leicester City on Saturday.
“We don’t want to have any risks and we don’t have to take any risks and that’s why he will not be involved.”
Liverpool lost 2-0 away to Napoli in the opening game of their defence of the trophy they won in Madrid in June.
Salzburg, playing in the Champions League group stage for the first time in 25 years, began their campaign with a 6-2 win against Belgian side Genk.
“We have to start winning and we should not waste time,” said Klopp, whose side have won all seven of their Premier League games so far this season.
“We can’t wait for scoring points. We need to get points on Wednesday.”
Salzburg will arrive at Anfield as the leaders of the Austrian Bundesliga, unbeaten in their 9 games of the season, scoring 40 goals and conceding only 9
Nineteen-year-old striker Erling Braut Haaland – the son of former Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City midfielder Alf Inge, is a part of Salzburg squad.
Haaland has scored 17 goals already this season, including a hat-trick against Genk, but sat out the weekend game against Austria Vienna because of an illness.
“The way Salzburg is made is to surprise bigger teams,” said Klopp.
“On Wednesday night Salzburg will have to feel we are Liverpool and that they are in Liverpool and this is Anfield.”
Liverpool are unbeaten at Anfield in 22 European Games since October 2014, and will not want that record to change, against a strong and energetic Salzburg side, with Haaland leading the line.
It is going to be a tough task for Salzburg to score points at Anfield, but with their form, and the unpredictability of the Champions League, anything and everything is possible.
