THE HOT CORNER

1 PRO SOCCER: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will miss the Premier League match at Chelsea today after what the club called a suspected positive coronavirus test. Klopp has mild symptoms and is now isolating, Liverpool said Saturday. Assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders will be on the touchline leading the team at Stamford Bridge, but three other members of the backroom staff have also reported suspected COVID-19 infections.

2 PRO BASKETBALL: Friday marked the 20th consecutive season in which the Rockets hosted a game on New Year’s Eve. Houston fell to 15-5 with a loss to Miami that snapped a five-game winning streak. It is the fifth time the Heat have played on New Year’s Eve, and the first since 2014. They improved to 3-2.

3 PRO BASKETBALL: Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas entered the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, coach Willie Green said. He has been among New Orleans’ most productive players this season, averaging 18.5 points and 12 rebounds per game.

4 SOCCER: An African Cup of Nations warmup game between defending champion Algeria and Gambia was called off hours before kickoff in Qatar on Saturday after several Gambia players tested positive for the coronavirus.

5 WINTER SPORTS: Bobsledder Francesco Friedrich of Germany was undefeated in 2021. He won’t repeat the feat in 2022. Friedrich’s 21-race World Cup winning streak was snapped Saturday, after his worst finish in more than four years. Rostislav Gaitiukevich of Russia was the surprise winner of a two-man race, teaming with Mikhail Mordasov to prevail in 1 minute, 39.23 seconds in Sigulda, Latvia.