Brighton v Liverpool injury news as six ruled out and two doubts

Jurgen Klopp faces a selection headache ahead of Liverpool’s FA Cup game against Brighton, as the Reds are set to be without six key players. Additionally, another two could also miss out on the tie.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Van Dijk, Roberto Firmino and Fabio Carvalho are all confirmed to be out until February - Carvalho could return earlier than the other two, though.

Carvalho could potentially feature against Brighton, as he is facing a late fitness test. At this stage, however, it seems very unlikely - given Klopp’s intense, high pressing brand of football, he must be careful when reintroducing injured players to the squad. Bringing players back too soon could very easily reaggravate the problem that kept them out of the team in the first place.

Meanwhile, Luis Diaz, Arthur and Diogo Jota are all still out of action with their respective long term injuries. Arthur and Jota could both make their return towards the end of February, while Diaz won’t be back on the pitch until mid-March.

On top of all this, Liverpool have two players who are doubtful for the game against Brighton - James Milner and Nat Phillips. Of the two, Milner seems like the more likely to play.

The veteran utility man was out with an illness and ‘was not in training for one day’, but is expected to have a clean bill of health for the game at the Falmer Stadium. Meanwhile, Phillips is less likely to feature, with Klopp playing up the severity of his illness.