Van Dijk ruled out as Klopp drops Liverpool trio, Bruno makes surprise selection in first Chelsea line-up

Virgil Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold have not been named in the Liverpool line-up against Chelsea.

Liverpool take on managerless Chelsea, hoping to reignite their Champions League hopes. Jurgen Klopp's side are currently languishing in eighth place, some eight points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in fourth.

Meanwhile Chelsea are playing their first game since Graham Potter was sacked as manager after less than seven months in charge. Bruno Saltor is in the Blues dug-out as interim boss.

And both sides have made multiple changes for the game as they attempt to jolt their respective seasons into life.

Liverpool vs Chelsea team news

Van Dijk's absence is a major blow to Klopp, given Liverpool need to claim a win to have any chance of making the top-four this term.

According to the Athletic's David Ornstein, the Dutchman is missing the trip to Chelsea due to illness. The 31-year old was absent from training in the build up to Tuesday evening's game at Stamford Bridge.

The Netherlands international has been ever-present when fit this season, only missing seven games in January and February with a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, the under-fire Alexander-Arnold and fellow full-back Robertson will have to settle for a place on the bench, with Klopp having opted to start Joe Gomez and Konstantinos Tsimikas instead.

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Salah, who netted in Saturday's 4-1 defeat to Manchester City, has also been named among the subsitutes, with Klopp having preferred a front three of Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Roberto Firmino.

Meanwhile, in Chelsea's first match since the sacking of manager Potter, interim boss Bruno Saltar has made two changes.

Wesley Fofana and N'Golo Kante have been preferred to Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mykhailo Mudryk. Kante captains the side having just returned from a long-term hamstring injury.

Liverpool and Chelsea teams in full

Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga, James, Fofana, Koulibaly, Cucurella, Chilwell, Kante, Fernandez, Kovacic, Felix, Havertz... Subs: Mendy, Badiashile, Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek, Mount, Madueke, Pulisic, Sterling.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Gomez, Konate, Matip, Tsimikas, Henderson, Fabinho, Jones, Jota, Firmino, Nunez... Subs: Kelleher, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, Milner, Arthur, Carvalho, Gakpo, Salah.

Topics: Virgil Van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.