Liverpool: Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana miss training ahead of Tottenham clash

Liverpool are sweating over the fitness of two key players Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana after the duo missed training at their Melwood base on Thursday (9 February).

The Reds face a crunch clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday (11 February) and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping to have both the players available for selection. Liverpool are yet to win in the Premier League in 2017 and their sudden loss of form is threatening to derail not only their title challenge, but also a place in the top four.

Lovren missed the Merseyside club's loss to Hull City last weekend with a swollen knee, but according to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds are hopeful that he will return to training on Friday and be ready for the clash against Mauricio Pochettino's in-form side. Ragnar Klavan, who also missed the clash at the KCOM Stadium due to illness, returned to training on Thursday, but played away from the main squad.

If the Croatia international is unable to make the squad for the game against Spurs, Lucas Leiva, Joe Gomez and Klavan will fight for a starting role alongside Joel Matip. Liverpool have failed to win a game in their last five league matches and have conceded nine goals in the process.

Lallana, meanwhile, was omitted from the training session on Thursday owing to a tight muscle, but the coaching staff is hopeful that he will respond positively to treatment and return to the starting XI for Tottenham's visit. The England international is having his most productive season in a Liverpool shirt since his arrival from St Mary's and Klopp will be keen to have him in the squad as they look to get back to winning ways.

However, if Lallana does not recover in time for the late kick-off on Saturday, Daniel Sturridge could be given a chance and start for the first time since 2 January, when he started and scored against Sunderland. The English striker has struggled to nail down a regular place in the starting XI this season, and will be keen to impress the manager after failing to deliver in recent games.