Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Andrew Robertson and Arthur Melo will both miss Sunday's Premier League clash with Arsenal due to injury.
Robertson has been sidelined for more than a month due to a knee problem, missing Liverpool's last three games with Kostas Tsimikas deputising at left-back.
The Scot is back running on the grass and "close" to making his return, but Klopp revealed in his pre-match press conference that Sunday's game will come too soon.
Summer signing Arthur Melo will also miss the trip to the early Premier League leaders, having sustained a muscle injury in the buildup to the midweek Champions League win over Rangers.
Klopp hinted that Curtis Jones could feature in the matchday squad at the Emirates Stadium, but confirmed that Naby Keita and former Arsenal man Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are still sidelined.
"Curtis Jones trained [on Thursday] and looked good. It was just his first session [back]," the Liverpool boss told reporters.
"Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are still a bit away. Arthur got injured in the last session before we played Rangers. Andy Robertson is running, he looks close, but Curtis is closest [to returning]."
Klopp also talked up the importance of his side becoming "unpredictable" again, having only won two of their seven Premier League games so far this season.
The German manager discarded his usual 4-3-3 formation in favour of a 4-2-3-1 system against Rangers on Tuesday night, and suggested that further formation tweaks could come in the future too.
"It is more important that we become unpredictable again. It is not the only system we can play. We don't want to make it more complicated than it needs to be but we need to find the best one for our next opponent and for us," he added.
"When you spot a problem, we want a solution instantly. We are still a work in progress to find a way out. So you cannot say now we're back, we need consistency. For that we need to defend the s*** out of everyone. I am not interested in this short term. We have to be good until we are outstanding.
"From here, we go and go and go and improve. Arsenal away, Rangers away - a different game to Anfield - and Man City, what can I say? Yes, we are through [the bad patch] and I can see the light. I am optimistic and positive. These players are outstanding still but the body language has to be good.
"Teams have worked out how to play against us when we're not at our best. It is funny other teams figured us out years ago but it still didn't work [for them] because we were exceptional.
"In our best games I can show you the parts we could have had problems but we didn't because we put so much pressure on the opposition they could not find the spaces. That is the risk you play. When you are not at your best those gaps are still there.
"There's no system in the world with no weakness. It's all about how we perform and what we did and with what intensity. There is no system you can rely on and say it is perfect."
Liverpool have enjoyed themselves against Arsenal in recent years, winning 11 and losing just three of the last 19 meetings across all competitions, but they will go into Sunday's game sitting 11 points adrift of their hosts in the Premier League table after only eight games.
Klopp was full of praise for the Gunners and insisted that his side's recent domination of the fixture would have no bearing on Sunday's game.
"[They have] all my respect, wow. [It's a] really good job from Mikel Arteta. When you need time, nobody wants to give you it," he told reporters.
"I have to say, a lot of respect, [they have] a lot of talent... Gabriel Martinelli, I was excited about him early; Martin Odegaard, I spoke to him at 15 in Norway with his dad. Bukayo Saka... ooof.
"And Gabriel Jesus, Mikel could see how good he could be not in a Man City shirt. Thomas Partey, everyone saw how good he was at Atletico Madrid. [They have] lots of quality and are a young, exciting team doing really well. Now we go there and we don't think about [past results]."
Liverpool's formation tweak could see Darwin Nunez lead the line again this weekend, with the Uruguayan having so far made only two Premier League starts since his big-money summer move from Benfica.
The striker squandered a string of chances against Rangers in midweek, but Klopp is confident that he will begin to show his best form soon.
"It was his movement and down to the movement of the boys around him. One of the thing he showed so far in all games, is that frequently he gets himself into good finishing position," he added.
"It's why we should be optimistic about what's coming from him in the future."
While Liverpool have endured an underwhelming start to the season, they have also only lost one of their 31 Premier League games this calendar year ahead of their trip to North London. body check tags ::
