Jurgen Klopp casts doubt on Chelsea vs Liverpool as Covid-19 outbreak may force club to seek postponement

Jurgen Klopp has cast doubt over whether Liverpool will be able to fulfill their Premier League fixture with Chelsea on Sunday.

The Reds have confirmed three cases of Covid-19 in their squad and several more among the backroom staff, ahead of a further round of testing for the players.

“Not yet, but we don’t know,” Klopp told reporters on whether Liverpool will ask for the game to be postponed.

“We never had this kind of proper outbreak where 10, 15, 20 players had it, for us it’s more every day another one. Staff happens now more and more often, so as I said before it feels like a lottery in the morning when you stand there and you wait for the result.

“It was now pretty much day by day always one case – today another one.

“We have to wait, the boys are not even in yet, so we have to wait. In this moment, probably not but we don’t know how it will look in a few hours.”

The two teams sit second and third in the table ahead of what would be a crunch match in the Premier League title race.

Klopp’s side are already without Takumi Minamo and Thiago Alcantara due to injuries and the German would not reveal the names of those who have tested positive for Covid.

“We have three new Covid cases in the team and a few more in the staff, so it’s not so cool in the moment,” he added.

“I’m not [able to reveal the names] because we still have to make the whole processes, getting a proper PCR and all these kind of things, but you will see the day after tomorrow on the teamsheet. It will be pretty clear then who is affected or infected.”