Liverpool will be without the services of Fabinho against Leicester City this weekend, with the Brazilian ruled out due to a "little muscle issue."
The Reds make the trip to the King Power Stadium on Saturday as they look for a much-needed three points after last weekend's crushing defeat against Manchester City at Anfield.
However, they will be unable to call upon makeshift centre-back Fabinho, who missed the Reds' three previous outings with a "minor" issue before returning straight to the starting eleven against Man City.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed the 27-year-old will be unable to play a part this weekend.
“Fab will not be available. He suffered again a little muscle issue, so will be out for this game,” Klopp said.
With the Reds travelling to Budapest to face RB Leipzig in the Champions League knockout stages on Tuesday before hosting Everton at the weekend, the boss was asked whether there was a chance Fabinho could be available for either clash.
“I don't know in the moment, we will see. I really don't know,” Klopp added.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will continue to be without Diogo Jota and Naby Keita, with the duo back on the pitches at Kirkby but still undergoing individual training sessions.
“It was a hamstring, a slightly bigger one,” Klopp said of Keita, who hasn't featured since the Reds' 7-0 win over Crystal Palace in December.
Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images
“He is back on the pitch but not with the team yet. He is in individual training sessions – hard training sessions. It is the final stages of his rehab, but [he is] still not there.”
On Jota, the boss said: “Diogo is close, but not as a close as Naby, for example.
“He is on the pitch as well, individual sessions, not the same intensity as you can imagine after a longer time. In rehab, you have to train really intense before you can go back to team training.
“Diogo [will be] two or three weeks, maybe. Probably the medical hits me now, but I think that's kind of possible, back in full training and then we will see how long it takes.”
The injured trio join the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip on the sidelines, with the three centre-backs set to be out for the remainder of the campaign.
New centre-back additions Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak soften the blow of Fabinho's latest knock, but the duo are yet to feature since arriving on deadline day almost a fortnight ago.
Whilst Nathaniel Phillips and skipper Jordan Henderson could be relied upon again at the back, Davies and Kabak will undoubtedly be vying for a starting role. However, full debuts for the two of them in the same starting eleven remains highly unlikely.
But Liverpool supporters will certainly be looking at Keita and Jota's injury situation with a keener eye, with the duo more than capable of transforming the Reds' recent fortunes at the other end of the pitch - should they remain fit.
