Alisson, Roberto Firmino & Joel Matip ruled out of Chelsea clash with Covid-19
By Tom Gott
Liverpool have confirmed that the three players to have tested positive for Covid-19 in the build-up to Sunday's meeting with Chelsea are Alisson, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip.
Manager Jurgen Klopp is already watching from home after returning a positive test and complaining of mild symptoms.
Three positive cases among the squad were confirmed earlier this week, but only now have Liverpool confirmed the identities of those impacted.
Alisson, Firmino and Matip will all miss Sunday's crucial clash against Chelsea, but the rest of Klopp and assistant Pep Lijnders' squad have been tested and no other positives have been recorded.
In Alisson's absence, it's Caoimhin Kelleher who gets the nod in goal, while Ibrahima Konate partners Virgil van Dijk in Matip's place at the back.
The third and final change from the 1-0 defeat to Leicester comes in midfield, where James Milner starts and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain drops to the bench.
It's a youthful bench for Liverpool. Under-23 goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga joins veteran Adrian in the dugout, with Owen Beck, Neco Williams and Tyler Morton making up the numbers alongside Naby Keita, Joe Gomez and Curtis Jones.
There's no Andy Robertson, with the left-back serving the final game of a three-match suspension that was supposed to end against Leicester but has carried over to this fixture following the postponement of December's meeting with Leeds United.
Midfielder Thiago Alcantara remains sidelined because of Covid-19, while Divock Origi is dealing with a muscular problem. They're joined in the stands by Nat Phillips (cheekbone fracture) and Harvey Elliott (ankle).