Matip Out Again ahead of Brighton trip
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Joel Matip is set to miss Liverpool's trip to Brighton and Hove Albion due to injury, manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.
The centre-back sustained a knock during the midweek 3-0 Premier League win over Stoke City and is unlikely to recover in time for the match at the AMEX Stadium.
However, there are no other concerns for Klopp, with midfielder Adam Lallana still working up his match fitness following a long-term thigh injury.
"It looks like Joel Matip is out. After the game he had a problem, he felt something muscle-wise," said Klopp.
"We have to make the final assessment but it doesn't look like he is available. That's pretty much all.
"Adam Lallana is still building up his fitness; Ragnar Klavan was ill but hopefully he is not anymore, especially when you think about Joel Matip's situation.
"It's not that we have a big choice to make in defence, so that's the situation.
"We had a few knocks, [that's] how it is after a game, and it is the shorter part of the week with Wednesday and Saturday [games]. It's not a long time to recover from different things.
"Final decisions will be made after the session at three o'clock."
Klopp also made an admission that goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was lucky not to be sent off against Stoke, having originally defended his goalkeeper.
Mignolet escaped with a yellow card having brought down Mame Biram Diouf just outside the area, but Klopp believes it is time his side received some luck.
"I think it's the first time this season we were lucky in a situation. I have to admit we were lucky, when I gave interviews I was 100 per cent sure it was the right decision," he added.
"It would not have been a penalty because it was outside the box but a red card I couldn't have argued.
"I understand [Stoke boss Mark Hughes] is not happy 100 per cent, but that's pretty much all. I don't think that refs need to be more punished than they are already.
"It was a point of view, refs make the decision – it's the first time we were kind of lucky.
"I like and respect Mark a lot, I understand that he thinks it was a decisive moment. That's how it is. We take this like we took all the other things."
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