Alisson confident Liverpool can cope without suspended Van Dijk

Alisson believes Liverpool will cope without the suspended Virgil van Dijk against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Van Dijk will miss the last-16 first leg at Anfield after picking up a booking in Liverpool’s final group game against Napoli in December.

How will Liverpool line up without Van Dijk: Five key things to know…

1. Van Dijk’s suspension has come at the worst possible time for Liverpool, who are in the midst of a defensive injury crisis.
2. Joe Gomez has been sidelined for the last few weeks while Dejan Lovren missed the Reds’ 3-0 win over Bournemouth.
3. Fabinho, who is able to fill in at centre-back, also has a slight muscle problem.
4. If all of those players are unavailable against Bayern, Jurgen Klopp may be forced to use Trent Alexander-Arnold at centre-back.
5. As a result the hosts may be reliant on Alisson, who kept his 16th clean sheet of the season in all competitions against Bournemouth.

Liverpool will be hoping at least one of their sidelined defenders is able to return and partner Joel Matip on Tuesday.

But Alisson has played down concerns that the hosts will struggle without Van Dijk, insisting the squad is strong enough to deal with absences.

“All the defenders have played so when one comes in and one leaves, we don’t feel that loss because we’re all used to each other,” Alisson told the club’s official website.

“That the backline are all able to communicate with each other, and know each other really well, is vital for any team. Once you’ve cracked it, you’ve got it – and we seem confident.”

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Alisson “pleased” to go head-to-head with Neuer

If Neuer is available after a recent thumb injury, Alisson will be going head-to-head with one of the world’s most acclaimed goalkeepers over the last decade.

And while the German took a hit to his reputation after a difficult World Cup with Germany, Alisson still sees Neuer as an inspiration.

He added: “We know they’re a really good, strong team. Jürgen knows more about that team than anyone. There’s a lot of quality – and a great defence.

“[Neuer] is a big reference for me. When we got them in the draw I was pleased knowing I’d be against him.”

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