The Reds host the Spanish club in their third league-phase game in this season’s Champions League on Tuesday night (8pm GMT kick-off).

Frimpong and Szoboszlai were forced off during last weekend’s 2-1 win at Brentford and will not be available for the meeting with Inigo Perez’s team.

Andoni Iraola said on Monday that Frimpong may not return until after the November international break, while Szoboszlai suffered a recurrence of the injury that prevented him from taking part in Liverpool’s previous two matches before the trip to Gtech Community Stadium.

“I think they are different circumstances,” Iraola told reporters.

“Jeremie Frimpong is obviously a new muscle injury and it happened, I think, in the second or third minute he was playing, difficult to predict and we will have to wait until he recovers.

“But it’s going to be difficult, I think, before the break. We will try but it's going to be difficult to have him.

“Dom Szoboszlai is different. It’s not a new injury, I think it’s in the same place it was probably last week. He hasn’t worsened the injury but probably we have to be a little bit more patient until he recovers fully.

“But it’s not like something now where he has to wait a lot of time to come back, he is more or less in the same situation he was last week.”

“But we need more patience with him, but I appreciate the effort he did the other day, to be available, to want to contribute in a very difficult game that you know is going to be very physical – [against] one of the most physical teams, Brentford.

“And to put himself in front and to want to play speaks very well about him, yes.”

Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni remain sidelined.

35:15

Araujo and Iraola's pre-Villarreal press conference

Villarreal, meanwhile, were boosted by the return to training of Tajon Buchanan on Monday. The forward has missed their last three games due to a hamstring injury.

Nicolas Pepe has also been absent for his team’s past three matches with an eye issue.

G oalkeeper Peter Gulacsi was a Liverpool player between 2008 and 2013. He was named on the bench 51 times but never made a competitive appearance for the Reds.

Last match

Brentford 1-2 Liverpool (October 17): Alisson, Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Munoz, Barcola, Isak.

Villarreal 0-0 Elche (October 17): Gulacsi, Freeman, Foyth, Costa, Cardona, Akhomach, Comesana, Macia, Oluwaseyi, Perez, Moleiro.