Liverpool and Tottenham injury latest as 11 players set to be missing amid Virgil van Dijk update

Liverpool hosts Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday. It is the third-last match of Jürgen Klopp’s remarkable nine-year spell in charge of the Reds.

While it remains mathematically possible that Liverpool could win the Premier League this season, in reality the dream is over. Assuming Arsenal beats Bournemouth on Saturday lunchtime, the Reds will be eight points adrift with only nine left on the table. But they have at least achieved Champions League qualification, which was an important aim after finishing fifth last season.

Spurs look likely to succeed them in that position this term, though a rare win at Anfield would keep them in the hunt for the top four. Both teams look set to be without several players on Sunday, as Klopp and Postecoglou confirmed on Friday morning. Sadly for the Reds, a key defender may be unavailable.

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Tottenham was in action on Thursday night, suffering a 2-0 loss at London rivals Chelsea. As such, Postecoglou couldn’t confirm too much team news ahead of the trip to Anfield. “It's a bit early to tell,” he said (via Spurs’ official website). “There are a few of the guys who are feeling the effects of the game [at Chelsea].

“We'll probably get a better update later in the afternoon,” Postecoglou added. "I don't think there is anything significant out of it, but we'll find out a bit later." Even if there are no new absentees, the Tottenham website confirmed that Ben Davies, Fraser Forster, Ryan Sessegnon, Manor Solomon, Destiny Udogie and Timo Werner remain unavailable.

Liverpool is set to be without a similar number of players. Long-term absentees Thiago Alcântara and Joël Matip won’t be seen again this season, and it's unlikely we'll see Ben Doak either. Speaking to the press on Friday, Klopp provided updates on three other members of his squad when asked for team news.

“There are only three games to go and [you expect me to] change my habits completely? You want the whole line-up?" he joked (via Liverpool Echo). "Diogo [Jota] is not in team training yet, Conor Bradley is, Virgil [van Dijk] wasn’t. No, [he will] probably be part of team training today, so we will have to see what we can do there. That is it."

Jota and Bradley were already on the sidelines, but Van Dijk would be a new addition to the Reds’ treatment room if he is injured. The Dutch defender has played 76 per cent of the available minutes this season, and but for a red card at Newcastle and the subsequent suspension, he would likely be into the 80s.

It will be interesting to see in which direction Klopp turns if Van Dijk cannot play against Tottenham. The most used pairing not featuring Virgil this season is Ibrahima Konaté and Jarell Quansah, who have featured for 551 minutes across nine matches. Liverpool won eight of the games, with the FA Cup victory at Arsenal a notable success. The Reds’ boss would still prefer to utilize Van Dijk if he can though.

Liverpool.com says: It would sum up the season nicely if van Dijk were to be out after being one of Liverpool's most injury resistant players in 2023/24. The Reds have done extremely well to have competed strongly on so many fronts considering the availability issues they have faced. With Tottenham looking to recover from a dismal derby defeat, Postecoglou will be delighted if Van Dijk is on the sidelines.