Arne Slot and Liverpool dealt fresh fitness worry ahead of Chelsea Premier League clash

Liverpool have been dealt a fresh fitness worry ahead of the weekend's Premier League clash with Chelsea.

The Reds welcome side to Anfield on Sunday afternoon hoping to extend their lead at the top of the table. have been in decent form as of late, however, and it should be an entertaining game on Merseyside.

Ahead of the clash, it emerged on Tuesday that Liverpool's Wataru Endo has picked up an illness, with the midfielder not featuring for Japan against Australia in the World Cup qualifier. The Reds' midfielder has been under the weather this week, as reported by the , which likely explains his absence.

He had previously featured for Japan in their match against Saudi Arabia, where Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada and NEC Nijmegen's Koki Ogawa netted goals in a 2-0 victory.

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While it's unlikely that Arne Slot will start Endo even if he's fit, another midfield absence would be worrying, particularly with Harvey Elliott still on the road to recovery, reports . Curtis Jones, who had to leave the England squad early due to a "personal matter", is Liverpool's only other fit senior midfield option beyond the preferred trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. Tyler Morton might also be considered, although his game time has been limited to a brief Carabao Cup appearance this season.

In other news, Virgil van Dijk missed the latest Netherlands match due to suspension, giving him a potentially beneficial rest before the crucial clash with Chelsea. Chelsea, meanwhile, were handed a boost in midweek as captain Reece James returned to team training.