Dejan Lovren is not a part of Liverpool’s 18-man squad to face Red Star Belgrade this evening – because he is ill.
Chris Bascombe of The Telegraph revealed the news via Twitter, which explains why Joel Matip is playing instead and the Croatian is not even on the bench.
READ MORE:
Reds fans react to team news: Matip and Sturridge start; Keita on the bench
The centre-back has been missing a lot since he signed for the Reds, either through injury or illness, and this is his latest setback.
Lovren did travel with the Reds to Serbia but felt unwell in the afternoon of the game. Joe Gomez is on the bench but the plan was always to give him a rest, hence Matip’s inclusion.