Jurgen Klopp confirms Liverpool squad decimated by FLU outbreak hours before Burnley clash with key stars missing

ALISSON and Joe Gomez missed Liverpool’s clash with Burnley because of illness.

Jurgen Klopp revealed both players were unavailable after suffering from flu this week.

Alisson missed the Burnley clash due to fluReuters

Alamy

Joe Gomez also picked up the sickness bug this week[/caption]

Reuters

Caoimhin Kelleher took Alisson’s place in goal[/caption]

Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was called on to deputise for Alisson, who missed two Premier League games in December because of injury.

The shot-stopper made a rare mistake last week against Arsenal as he failed to clear a long ball from Gabriel, leaving Gabriel Martinelli with the simple task of tapping into an empty net.

Gomez has also been a mainstay in the team in recent weeks due to the injuries to Andy Robertson and Konstantinos Tsimikas.

The defender was expected to line up alongside Virgil van Dijk in central defence following Ibrahima Konate’s red card last week.

But Klopp had to pick another youngster in his place – Jarell Quansah.

The Reds boss said in his pre-match press conference: “We have Ibou [Konate] not available [through suspension], a little bit of fighting a little bit with a flu thing in the squad.

“So we have to see who in the end is available so that is all not cool but in the end – we will have 11 players and we will go for it.”

Liverpool are almost down to bare bones with Mo Salah still missing after picking up an injury at the Africa Cup of Nations.

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Dominik Szoboszlai is also absent along with Thiago, who only returned from a lengthy injury lay-off against Arsenal on Sunday.

However Darwin Nunez was fit enough to start after starting on the bench at The Emirates, while Wataru Endu is back from international duty at the Asian Cup.