Aston Villa

Villa CEO Christian Purslow speaking to BT Sport: "Our experience of this situation in the past two days has been a frightening scenario because we went from 100% negative on 1 January to 14 cases.

"We had a tricky day yesterday to try to find enough players who'd be able to represent the club tonight. The players were tested and the results came back this morning.

"These players have had no contact with any of the players in the first team. Many of them are so young their mums and dads will be dropping them off at Villa Park tonight."

Aston Villa

Villa boss Mark Delaney to BT Sport: "It's been a manic couple of days. The manager rang up on Thursday and said 'it looks like you might have to take the game'.

"There are excited boys in there. They're looking forward to it. This is the biggest opportunity you can have.

"At the start of every season we say you have to be ready for these opportunities. Today it's as a group which doesn't happen often.

"We're missing some of the under-23 players who were training with the first team.

"We can match them with attitude, desire and workrate and that's all I ask.

"We've just done the meeting with the gaffer. He's spoken to the players in the dressing room [on a call]."

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says Naby Keita is near a return from injury.

He has not played since 19 December but can return "soon".

Defender Joel Matip could be fit to face Manchester United on 17 January.

"He is in a good way but if it will be United or a few days later, I don’t know," said Klopp.

The German says Diogo Jota is still "a few weeks away" from returning to training following a knee injury.

Aston Villa's next Premier League game - against Spurs on Wednesday - is in doubt with so many positive Covid tests in Villa's first team.

"For a Europa League team to have three matches postponed is completely impossible, that is the only thing I can say," said Spurs boss Jose Mourinho - whose side have had games called off and moved already.

"It is for the Premier League to make decisions, if we don't play against Aston Villa we will have three matches postponed and that is impossible because it would need the Euros to get moved and that is not going to happen."

Mark Lawrenson predicted a 3-0 win for Liverpool today but that was before Villa's Covid outbreak.

He thinks Wolves will beat Crystal Palace 1-0.

BBC local radio

You can listen to live commentary from Villa Park on BBC WM or BBC Radio Merseyside. Just click the link near the top of this page.

BBC Radio 5 Live

You can listen to live commentary of Wolves v Crystal Palace on BBC Radio 5 Live or BBC Radio London - on this page or a radio.

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo makes two changes from the side that drew 3-3 at Brighton on 2 January in the Premier League.

John Ruddy and Leander Dendoncker start in place of Rui Patricio and Vitinha. Patrick Cutrone and Morgan Gibbs-White, who have both recently been called back from loan spells, are both on the bench.

Wolves XI: Ruddy, Semedo, Coady, Saiss, Ait Nouri, Moutinho, Neves, Traore, Dendoncker

Subs: Patricio, Hoever, Richards, Kilman, Otasowie, Gibbs-White, Vitinha, Corbeanu, Cutrone

Just the nine changes for Crystal Palace as manager Roy Hodgson shuffles his pack from the side that started their Premier League win over Sheffield United.

Jack Butland comes in for his debut in goal, while James McCarthy, Mamadou Sakho and Jordan Ayew also start.

Crystal Palace XI: Butland, Clyne, Tomkins, Sakho, Van Aanholt, Ayew, Riedewald, McCarthy, Eze, Benteke, Batshuayi

Subs: Guaita, Ward, Mitchell, Kelly, Kouyate, McArthur, Milivojevic, Townsend, Zaha.

Nathan: To be fair, Emlyn (18:49), they've probably never heard of your either

As expected, Aston Villa have fielded a very inexperienced starting line-up because of the significant Covid-19 outbreak at the club, with nine players and five staff affected.

The XI contains seven under-23 players and four under-18 players.

Aston Villa XI: Onodi, Bridge, Revan, Walker, Rowe, Chrisene, Barry, Kesler, Sylla, Raikhy, Bogarde.

Subs: Zych, Jay-Hart, Sohna, Tait, Rowe, Young, Swinkels, Ealing, Lindley.

Liverpool name a strong starting XI for the tie with forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane starting with skipper Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum in midfield.

There are six changes in total from the side that started in the 1-0 defeat by Southampton.

Caoimhin Kelleher makes his fourth appearance for the Reds this season, replacing Alisson in goal.

Liverpool XI: Kelleher, N. Williams, R. Williams, Fabinho, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Jones, Mane, Minamino, Salah.

Subs: Alisson, Thiago, Firmino, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Origi, Shaqiri, Robertson, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold.

There's another game tonight - Wolves v Crystal Palace, which also kicks off at 19:45 GMT. Line-ups for that on the way too.

They have players called Bridge, Barry and Bogarde in their team. I'm guessing it's not Wayne, Gareth and Winston.

More (proper) team news to follow soon.

I have just seen the Aston Villa line-up and can confirm I have never heard of any of them.

Aston Villa' have suffered a "significant" Covid-19 outbreak with 14 staff, including nine players, testing positive.

They will field a team mainly comprising players from their Under-23 side so the outbreak can be contained within Villa's first team.

Under-23 coach Mark Delaney will take charge.

Back in 2019, Villa thrashed a weakened Liverpool 5-0 in the Carabao Cup quarter-final because the Reds' first team were at the Fifa Club World Cup.

17 December 2019: Liverpool have to put out an under-23 side in a cup tie against Aston Villa

8 January 2021: Aston Villa have to put out an under-23 side in a cup tie against Liverpool

Image source, .