Due to suspension and injury, Liverpool will be without first-choice center-back pairing Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate for the visit of Aston Villa on Sunday.
Van Dijk was sent off for the first time in his Liverpool career after bringing Newcastle United attacker Alexander Isak down on the brink of the penalty area during Sunday’s thrilling Premier League game.
He received a straight red card, but because he committed a professional foul, he will only miss one game. He might face a longer ban if he was found to have committed an act of dissent when leaving the pitch after a heated argument with referee John Brooks.
Meanwhile, Konate did not make the trip to St James’ Park, where the Reds rallied from behind to win 2-1 thanks to a superb Darwin Nunez double.
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp acknowledged before kickoff on the Premier League’s international broadcast that the Frenchman is likely to remain out until after the international break.
“He will be back after the international break,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. Not too serious, but sufficient. [Aston] Villa might have an opportunity, but I expect him to return after the international break.”
Villa’s visit to Anfield is Liverpool’s final game before the September internationals, with the Reds returning to play on September 16 at Wolves. It means the pair will be available for the trip to Wolves, which begins at 12.30pm.
Joel Matip and Joe Gomez are expected to start against Unai Emery’s side, who have scored 12 goals in their past three games in all competitions after losing 5-1 at Newcastle on the opening day.
They began their season with a 4-0 thrashing of Everton before defeating Hibs 5-0 in the Europa Conference League play-off round.
That was followed by a 3-1 victory over newly promoted Burnley. Villa host Hibs in Birmingham on Thursday, but with a five-goal lead from the first leg, they should be able to rest several of their key players ahead of their trip to Anfield.
Matty Cash struck a first-half double for Villa at Turf Moor, but Lyle Foster equalized for the hosts two minutes later.
Moussa Diaby made it two goals in three Premier League games since his arrival this summer to put Villa ahead of Burnley and secure three points.