Liverpool assistant boss Pepijn Lijnders has confirmed that Joel Matip will require a further stint on the sidelines due to a knee problem.
As revealed by Standard Sport on Monday, the defender has suffered a setback in his recovery from the knock that has seen him miss four of the Reds’ last five games.
And that is set to keep him out for the foreseeable future, starting with Wednesday’s League Cup clash with Arsenal, according to Lijnders.
“Joel’s knee is still irritated - we need to give him time,” the Dutchman told the club’s official website.
“I don’t know the exact time he will need but it will really need time to heal.”
Xherdan Shaqiri is also set to miss out on the opportunity for a rare start on Wednesday, the Swiss having failed to overcome a calf issue.
Lijnders added: “Shaq will only be back after the international break.
“We want to give him the time. With a calf injury it is always very high risk, especially with his calves.”
Mohamed Salah is available return after being taken off as a “pure precaution” against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, while Virgil van Dijk has also overcome a dead leg.
But neither man is expected to feature in a squad that will comprise of young talent and lesser-seen members of the first-team setup.
In Pictures | Liverpool vs Tottenham | 27/10/2019
Caoimhin Kelleher is one man guaranteed to benefit from those expected changes, the 20-year-old goalkeeper having already been told he is in line to start.
Lijnders added: "In this League Cup, it is Caoimhin’s competition. As I said before the MK Dons game, with youth development, with these moments when they are in between the U23s and the first team, consistency is very important.
“He had a good game and he is preparing for another one. It will be special for him playing at Anfield.”
Predicted XI: Kelleher; Williams, Van den Berg, Gomez, Milner; Lallana, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Brewster, Origi, Jones.