Joël Matip out of Plymouth FA Cup tie

Joël Matip will not figure against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup this evening after Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp opted against defying FIFA by playing him.

The Reds’ defender has been left out of the squad that flew south this morning because of the dispute with the Cameroon Football Federation as to whether he is officially deemed retired or not.

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Klopp is furious with the current situation and was looking at playing him regardless but the Reds have been advised that they could be expelled from the competition or face a huge fine.

FIFA will look at the matter on Friday but if their disciplinary committee are required to investigate the situation, it’s feared it could drag on for another 10 days.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have included Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Leiva in tonight’s match squad.