Seven Liverpool players set to miss Aston Villa clash including World Cup hero

Liverpool are set to be without seven senior players when they take on Aston Villa in their Boxing Day Premier League clash.

The fixture, which will be shown live on Amazon Prime, is the first league game for both sides since English football's top division was paused during the World Cup.

The Reds were last in league action on November 12, defeating Southampton 3-1. They faced Manchester City in the Carabao Cup on December 22, losing 3-2 to Pep Guardiola's side.

Villa, meanwhile, were knocked out of the cup by Manchester United in the previous round, meaning they haven't played competitively since November 13, when they won 2-1 at Brighton.

Both teams have had numerous players featuring at the World Cup, with Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez winning the tournament with Argentina.

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate, meanwhile, reached the final with France, and the Reds had a further eight players representing their countries in Qatar.

For players not at the World Cup, such as Mohamed Salah, Thiago and Andrew Robertson, there have been opportunities for rest, recovery and game time in friendly action throughout the build-up to the resumption of the Premier League.

However, the Reds are set to be without a number of first team stars against Villa.

Liverpool vs Aston Villa team news: World Cup star headlines Reds absences

Konate will not feature for Liverpool on Boxing Day, as he is yet to return to training following the conclusion of the World Cup.

Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Arthur Melo are all still absent, having picked up injuries prior to the World Cup break. Diaz is likely to be out until March after undergoing knee surgery earlier this month.

Curtis Jones is also set to be unavailable, whilst fellow midfielder James Milner will not be involved either after picking up an injury against City four days ago.

Finally, Roberto Firmino is also set to miss out after being injured in training before the City clash.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp described the problem as 'not a major thing', meaning Liverpool fans will hope to see the Brazil forward back relatively soon.

Klopp also said that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk have recovered from illness.

Villa, meanwhile, will be without World Cup winner Martinez, while Diego Carlos is still recovering from a serious knee injury he suffered back in August.

Jacob Ramsey is also set to be out, whilst Philippe Coutinho is slated as a doubt to face his former club at Villa Park.

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