Joel Matip to miss Manchester City clash, Klopp confirms
Joel Matip's troublesome knee injury has flared up agains and the centre-back faces "several weeks out" Liverpool's manager told reporters today.
Jürgen Klopp has confirmed Liverpool will be without Joel Matip for "a few weeks" more due to his knee injury, meaning he is expected to miss the potentially vital clash with Manchester City. Matip began suffering from discomfort in the win over Sheffield United at the end of September, though he managed to feature in the 1-1 draw at Manchester United on 20 October. Despite that return, the 28-year-old defender did not look completely sharp at Old Trafford and has missed the Reds' three matches since.
Liverpool-Man City at Anfield on 10 November
Before the next international break later this month, Liverpool face Aston Villa, Genk in the Champions League and then Manchester City, their biggest threat in the Premier League title race.
While Naby Keita's situation appears less certain after he sustained a minor strain in the EFL Carabao Cup clash with Arsenal, Matip looks set to miss the next three matches, meaning Joe Gomez or Dejan Lovren will be called on to shore up the central defensive position.
Klopp confirms Matip injury
When asked about the fitness of Keita and Matip, Klopp told reporters: "Naby, I don't know yet, we'll see. And Joel, he is not ready for the next few weeks, unfortunately. A couple is two [weeks] – a few is more than three [weeks]. He needs more than a couple."
Meanwhile, Klopp is contemplating the idea of resting midfielder Fabinho against Villa on Saturday due to the Brazilian being one booking away from missing the City clash through suspension. The German said: "I don't know yet. I will have to see. I know he is [one booking from suspension]. No challenges at all! It's not possible to play against Aston Villa and play without making tackles, we know that. We have to deal with this information, either him or me with the line-up."