FAB CURE FOR BACK PAIN

Brazilian will answer Kop defensive crisis

JURGEN KLOPP will ask Fabinho to keep helping out his injury-hit Liverpool defence.

Dejan Lovren suffered a hamstring injury against Wolves on Monday meaning Virgil van Dijk is the Premier League leaders’ only fit senior centre-half.

Brazil midfielder Fabinho did well in central defence against Wolves on Monday night despite a 2-1 defeat which saw them crash out of the FA Cup.

And he is expected to fill in again on Saturday against Brighton with Joe Gomez and Joel Matip both still crocked.

Fellow midfielder James Milner says Liverpool will bounce back from their ‘blip’.

Klopp’s men have started 2019 with back-to-back defeats.

Manchester City ended their unbeaten start to the Premier League season at the Etihad before the defeat at Molineux.

Milner said: “Back-to-back defeats isn’t good enough for us but you have blips in a season.

Bounce

“It’s not about them, they are expected but it’s how you respond and bounce back.

“You’ve seen the character in the squad over the last few years and the players we have to know we will bounce back.

“It’s easier saying that but we have to do that at the weekend.

“You’re not going to go a full season without having a blip.

“At the start we weren’t playing our best but were getting results. Every team has a blip in the season.

“We have reset our sights for another big game and they keep coming.”

Liverpool hold a four-point lead at the top of the table but know they cannot afford another slip up with champions City breathing down their necks.

Klopp made nine changes at Wolves and gave debuts to teenagers Curtis Jones, Rafael Camacho and Ki-Jana Hoever who replaced Lovren after six minutes.

Milner added: “We didn’t get the result we wanted but we didn’t roll over by any means.

“When you’re a team like us we want to win every game. We’re disappointed not to win and go through.

“The performance wasn’t at the level we would have liked.

“We didn’t get the passing going and we weren’t quite at our level.

“It was my mistake for the first goal and it’s cost us, if not it’s 1-1 and we get a replay.

“On the plus side it’s good for the young guys to get the experience.

“Ki coming on and playing like he did, he was outstanding.”