Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be without his two first-choice centre-backs for Sunday's Premier League showdown with Aston Villa at Anfield.

The Reds have lost Virgil van Dijk to suspension owing to his red card against Newcastle United, while Ibrahima Konate's knock will keep him out until after the international break.

Furthermore, Thiago Alcantara has suffered a recent setback as he bids to return from a hip injury, but Klopp has confirmed that Curtis Jones is fit again following an ankle issue.

With neither Van Dijk nor Konate at Klopp's disposal, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip should line up at the heart of the backline following Nat Phillips's switch to Scottish champions Celtic.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was arguably fortunate to escape an early bath himself last weekend, and the right-back will complete the rearguard alongside Alisson Becker and Andy Robertson.

Ryan Gravenberch's transfer from Bayern Munich may not have gone through in time for him to make his debut here, but fellow new signings Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai will expect to form an untouched engine room, as the former makes his first start at Anfield.

Having retained the services of Mohamed Salah despite the best efforts of Al-Ittihad, the Reds will no doubt line up with the Egyptian out wide, while Luis Diaz - who was sacrificed early for Gomez last weekend - should be given another chance on the left.

On the back of his heroic substitute outing at St James' Park - scoring a brace off the bench to win it for the 10-man Reds - Darwin Nunez could finally make his first Premier League start of the campaign as Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota accept spots among the replacements.

Liverpool possible starting lineup: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Matip, Robertson; Mac Allister, Endo, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Diaz