Klopp says Liverpool are ready to play Spurs, but hits out at lack of transparency

Liverpool were missing a trio of first team regulars for their 3-1 win over Newcastle, with Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones all testing positive for coronavirus.

Klopp has revealed no other members of his squad have been taken out of action by the virus yet, but the situation could change.

The Premier League winner also expressed his dissatisfaction at a lack of transparency from other sides over how many players have the virus, and who they are.

"So we know in this moment three players are probably not available," Klopp explained. "If they will be available we will say it. If they were a false positive and we realise that then we will say that and everybody knows they are now available.

"I have no idea if Manchester United… I heard a number of players but I have no idea who the players are, I have no idea who had the virus at Tottenham.

"I don't know if it's necessary to know who, if it's necessary to know how many. But knowing nothing in a really public world is quite strange.

"We have no information about Tottenham. I have no idea if they train since today, from tomorrow or since a week. I have really no idea. It's difficult to get any kind of information which is part of a preparation for a game."

Klopp has been openly discussing the pandemic since it began, encouraging everyone to get vaccinated as advised by medical experts.

When asked about his transparency, Klopp said: "I don't see it like that, we just don't have anything to hide.

"If somebody has the flu and you ask me in the press conference I say he has flu. If somebody has a broken toe, if I know it I say it's a broken toe.

"I know it's difficult because one is a pandemic and the other one is an individual injury but still we have to find a way to get through all this.

"And I really think the exchange of information is pretty helpful because I think all the misleading and wrong information misleads a lot of people. So that's just a problem. Just say how it is and then carry on from there.

"Now for example, I know all the anti-vaxxers out there will say Klopp said they were vaccinated and now they got the virus - yes and that's exactly what everybody told before, it doesn't deny you getting or saves you not from getting it.

"You can get it but you get through it properly in the right way. That's how it is, that's what the vaccination is for."

Postponements have already hit the Premier League in the lead up to Christmas, with things looking increasingly bleak ahead of matchweek 18.

Half of the weekend's 10 games have already been called off, and the situation is similar across the Football League.

Klopp did confirm that Liverpool are ready to play on Sunday, but things could easily change.

"We don't think we shouldn't play on Sunday, honestly," he said. "But I say that now. If in two hours when the players arrive here and we have six, seven, eight more cases then of course we cannot play.

"But in a situation like we are now, we can play and we would like to play. That's it, pretty much."