Jurgen Klopp has suggested he will consider leaving Fabinho out of Liverpool’s weekend trip to Aston Villa with the midfielder walking a disciplinary tightrope.
Having collected four Premier League bookings so far this season, the Brazilian would be forced to serve a one-match suspension should he see another yellow card at Villa Park.
And that would be particularly disastrous given that the Reds’ next outing in the competition sees them face title rivals Manchester City at Anfield.
As such, Klopp is weighing up a risk-free approach that sees his No.3 miss Saturday’s game in Birmingham entirely.
Asked about that possibility, he said: “I don’t know yet. We have to see. I know it, of course, what we do with that I don’t know.
“No challenges at all! That’s not possible against Aston Villa, playing without challenges, especially in that position. You cannot ask for this.
“The player knows it, I know it. Is there any game where you think that’s a good game to get a fifth yellow card? Maybe other teams are pretty smart in that and take them, I don’t know, I never did it.
“We have to deal with. Maybe he has to deal with it on the pitch or I have to deal with it with the line-up. We didn’t make a final decision yet, so we will see.”
Naby Keita is one of the men who could benefit from Fabinho’s absence, though he has to prove his fitness after picking up a groin injury in midweek.
On the Guinean, Klopp commented: "Naby I don’t know yet [if he's available], we will see.”
But there is no chance of Joel Matip featuring, with the defender set to be sidelined for the foreseeable future after suffering a setback in his recovery from a knee issue.
The manager added: “Joel is not [available] for the next few weeks.”
Liverpool predicted lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
