Matip to miss Man City clash as he faces ´a few weeks´ out, Klopp confirms

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Liverpool will be without Joel Matip for “a few weeks” more due to his knee injury, meaning he is expected to miss the potentially vital clash with Manchester City.

Matip began suffering from discomfort in the win over Sheffield United at the end of September, though he managed to feature in the 1-1 draw at Manchester United on October 20.

Despite that return, the 28-year-old defender did not look completely sharp at Old Trafford and has missed the Reds’ three matches since.

Before the next international break later this month, Liverpool face Aston Villa, Genk in the Champions League and then Manchester City, their biggest threat in the Premier League title race.

#LFC will need to assess the fitness of Naby Keita ahead of Saturday’s trip to @AVFCOfficial , Klopp has confirmed. https://t.co/y3kC3tGXWA

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 1, 2019

While Naby Keita’s situation appears less certain after he sustained a minor strain in the EFL Cup clash with Arsenal, Matip looks set to miss the next three matches, meaning Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren are likely to be called upon.

When asked about the fitness of Keita and Matip, Klopp told reporters: “Naby, I don’t know yet, we’ll see.

“And Joel, he is not ready for the next few weeks, unfortunately. A couple is two [weeks] – a few is more than three [weeks]. He needs more than a couple.”

“That’s why I called him ‘the lighthouse’ – he guides us.”

Pepijn Lijnders reflects on Fabinho’s dominant performance during last weekend’s win against @SpursOfficial https://t.co/vn09HULVfw

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 1, 2019

Meanwhile, Klopp is contemplating the idea of resting midfielder Fabinho against Villa on Saturday due to the Brazilian being one booking away from missing the City clash through suspension.

The German said: “I don’t know yet. I will have to see. I know he is [one booking from suspension]. No challenges at all!

“It’s not possible to play against Aston Villa and play without making tackles, we know that. We have to deal with this information, either him or me with the line-up.”