Liverpool will kick off their bid to reclaim the Champions League trophy on Wednesday night.
The 2018-19 winners will begin their campaign to win their second European Cup in the space of three seasons on Wednesday night.
The Merseysiders' first European outing of the season will see them lock horns with Dutch champions Ajax, whom they'll take on at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
The reigning Premier League champions will enter their showdown with their Eredivisie counterparts as huge favourites, although they're currently sweating on the fitness of two key first-team stars following last weekend's Merseyside derby.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp recently provided updates on the recoveries of his crocked stars on Tuesday afternoon, details of which you can find below.
Virgil van Dijk
The Dutchman sustained an ACL injury in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Everton, in which he was on the receiving end of a horrifically-high challenge from Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Van Dijk will require surgery to repair the damage and it's currently unknown when he'll return to the starting XI.
"A few things are clear, so he now will be out for a while, that’s clear," Klopp said. "We don’t want to set any timeframe, to be honest, because each player is different and each individual is different and these possible timeframes are always for the x, y, z player [but] Virgil is Virgil and we don’t want to set any timeframe.
“But he will be out for a pretty long time and that’s what the situation is.
"That’s what we know since - I expected it pretty much on Saturday after the game immediately, especially when I saw the challenge back.
"I saw it the first time only from the bench, and when I saw it back I was pretty clear that he will be out for a long time."
Thiago Alcantara
Like van Dijk, Reds new-boy Thiago Alcantara was also on the receiving end of a terrible tackle last Saturday, with Toffees forward Richarlison leaving his mark on the £27million summer signing. The former Bayern Munich man is currently being assessed ahead of tomorrow's match.
"So, yes, he got a knock, a proper knock,” Klopp said of Thiago. “All the rest, we have to see. It’s not even close to being as serious [as Virgil van Dijk]. But will he be ready for Wednesday? I don’t know yet. We will see.”
Alisson
Liverpool's No.1 is making steady progress in his recovery from a shoulder injury, which is expected to keep him on the sidelines until after the November international break.
"Ali looks very good," Klopp said of the Brazilian. "We have to see; catching balls and stuff like this is all possible. But we cannot rush it and will not rush it.
“Actually, it’s a common thing every day when I see Ali, I say: ‘How was it today?’ He always with a big smile tells me of the slight improvements. Today I didn’t see him [yet], so I can’t wait to ask for his progress!”
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The England international is still on the mend from the knee injury he suffered in pre-season training, although a date for the former Arsenal 's man return is still unclear.
"Oxlade is obviously in a long-term rehab, but looks good and is in a good mood usually," Klopp said.
Naby Keita
The Guinea international has resumed full training after testing negative for COVID-19, which he was reportedly diagnosed with whilst away on international duty.
“We are still learning, we are all learning about these kind of things when a boy is completely without symptoms, which Naby was," Klopp said of Keita's reported positive and subsequent negative tests.
“He looked very good yesterday in training, to be honest. But I don’t know how he looks today, how he reacted – that’s much more important then. So, we will see. In the moment, I would probably rather expect him to be involved but I don’t know it.”
