Virgil van Dijk has been ruled out of Liverpool's FA Cup tie against Arsenal due to illness… with Trent Alexander-Arnold appointed captain in the Dutch defender's absence
- Virgil van Dijk was ruled out of Liverpool's FA Cup match against Arsenal
- Trent Alexander-Arnold was appointed captain in his absence on Sunday
- Both Arsenal and Liverpool cannot afford an FA Cup repeat. They must do everything they can to win – Listen to It's All Kicking Off
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Virgil van Dijk was ruled out of Liverpool's FA Cup match against Arsenal on Sunday due to illness.
The Premier League title rivals fielded a strong line-up as they look to secure their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
But defender Van Dijk did not make the trip to North London.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp explained: 'Virgil is ill.
'We were a bit lucky in the last two or three weeks because a lot of the staff had it and not the players.
Virgil van Dijk was ruled out of Liverpool's FA Cup match against Arsenal on Sunday
Trent Alexander-Arnold was appointed captain at the Emirates in Van Dijk's absence
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“Now Virg has it.”
Klopp was also without Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo after both players left on international missions for the Africa Cup of Nations and Asia Cup earlier this week.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was instead appointed captain in Van Dijk's absence at the Emirates Stadium.
Danny Murphy said Van Dijk's absence was a blow as he was a crucial figure in their impressive run this season.
He said: 'Van Dijk's rise has been phenomenal.
'I think they will go for a central defender (in January or in the summer) because they lost (Joel) Matip.
'I would like to see them get a midfielder like (Joshua) Kimmich, someone who can dictate the game.'
