Liverpool travel to Toulouse on Thursday night, and having won their first three group games, victory in France will confirm their place in the knockout stages.
However, they’ll be without club captain Van Dijk who was among a trio of players surprisingly omitted from the travelling squad, despite having trained with the team on Wednesday morning.
Midfielders Curtis Jones and Gravenberch were also not included, though the former was always a doubt thanks to a ‘minor fitness issue’ that saw him miss last Sunday’s draw at Luton Town.
But the absence of the Dutch duo has lead to fears they might have picked up an injury themselves, which could be potentially devastating with a key clash against Manchester City at the end of the month.
In his pre-match press conference, Klopp confirmed that the pair are suffering will illness and injury but thankfully for supporters it doesn’t sound like they’ll be sidelined for too long.
‘Virgil is a little bit ill, it should not be a big thing but we didn’t want to have him in the plane if it was obvious,’ the manager said.
‘Maybe some others have it as well. I have it a little bit, for me it’s not a problem. That’s why we left him at home, it should be absolutely alright for the weekend.
‘Ryan got a little niggle in the knee. Not major, he was running today already but there was no chance for this game.
‘We hope there’s a chance for Brentford and he definitely will be back after the international break.’
In regards to Jones, Klopp added: ‘Curtis had a hamstring, not massive, but after the international break he will be back, but before not. Low-grade hamstring.’
Van Dijk remains as pivotal to Liverpool as ever, while Gravenberch has impressed since his summer move from Bayern Munich, particularly in the Europa League where he has two goals and an assist in three appearances.
After the Toulouse trip, the Reds host Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday and then travel to City on 25th November after the international break.
MORE : Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch out of international exile, confirms Ronald Koeman
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