Liverpool will be without Fabinho for over a month due to an ankle injury.
Fabinho suffered ligament damage in the first half of Wednesday’s Champions League draw with Napoli and had to be withdrawn after just 18 minutes of play.
The Brazil international has established himself as a regular starters this season as Jurgen Klopp’s side hold a commanding lead in the Premier League title race.
However the Reds confirmed on Friday that he will play no part in a congested December period where they will contest 10 matches in all competitions.
“Further assessment on the injury has discovered Fabinho will be out of action until the New Year”, confirmed a club statement.
Fabinho was already suspended for the visit of Brighton but Klopp admitted that the 26-year-old’s extended loss is a significant blow for the European champions.
He said: “Absolute bad news. We are not 100% sure how long it will take but it looks sure he will not take part in the Christmas fixtures.
“We have solutions for the position. We are not the only team with injuries. We have to find a solution and that’s what we will do.”
“Will it be exactly like Fabinho? Of course not, because nobody is like the other one, but it will be a good one.
“Then we have to play football and win football games again, that’s it.”