Liverpool duo Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah will miss the Reds' Premier League clash against Southampton tonight, reliable journalist Paul Joyce has claimed.
The Lowdown: Must-win game for Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp's side make the trip to St Mary's in the knowledge that defeat will officially spell the end of their title hopes.
Liverpool are four points behind Manchester City with a game in hand, so victory against Saints will take the title race to the final day of an incredible season. A draw would mathematically keep the race alive, but the Reds would then need to beat Wolves and hope City lose to Aston Villa with a seven-goal swing, which seems massively unlikely.
Both Van Dijk and Salah went off injured in Saturday's FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea, and they have been big doubts leading up to tonight's match.
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The Latest: Van Dijk and Salah to miss out
According to Joyce, who was reporting for The Times, the two Liverpool superstars will both miss out at St Mary's, coming as an undoubted blow to the Reds' hopes of getting a positive result.
The report states that Liverpool are looking to 'protect their fitness' ahead of the Champions League final clash with Real Madrid on May 28th, which at least suggests that the injuries to Salah and Van Dijk aren't serious.
The Verdict: Huge task for Klopp's men
It makes perfect sense for Klopp not to risk Van Dijk and Salah tonight, even though there must be a part of him tempted to throw them back in, given that there is still slight yet plausible hope of regaining the Premier League title.
It simply isn't worth potentially losing them for Champions League final in Paris, though. If Liverpool drop points away to the Saints, it will just have to be one of those that the Reds accept and then move on.
The Premier League has always felt like the free hit out of the four competitions in recent weeks, given City's lead, and it is now a case of battling through one more away game by any means necessary.
In other news, Liverpool have been linked with a move for a Premier League attacker. Find out who it is here.