Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai will make their debuts when Liverpool travel to Stamford Bridge for their Premier League opener.
Liverpool will kick-start their 2023/24 Premier League campaign when they travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on Sunday evening. And a win here would give the Reds a huge confidence boost heading into the new season.
The Reds missed out on Champions League qualification last season, and they will be hoping to make amends in the upcoming campaign and get back into the top four. Meanwhile, Liverpool will be without Thiago Alcantara for this game, and Stefan Bajcetic is unlikely to be risked either.
Chelsea vs Liverpool Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
The Merseyside club are currently missing an anchor in their midfield after the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho. It will be interesting to see how Jurgen Klopp fills the void left by them. Alisson Becker is set to start in goal in a 4-3-3 formation.
During his pre-match press conference, Klopp said on Thiago’s status, “He’s now training. He came in and asked about his role and we spoke. [He’s a] super-experienced player. He stepped up in that department. He has only been in team training for a week but very vocal. He is going to be very helpful for us.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs, and they look to add creativity from the wide areas apart from their defensive duties. Ibrahima Konate is set to start alongside Virgil Van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
Summer signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai will pair up in the middle of the park. The duo will look to make their mark on their debuts for the club. Meanwhile, Curtis Jones is likely to start alongside them.
Finally, Cody Gakpo is expected to lead the line, with Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota on either side of him. Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez are likely to get an opportunity here as well. But it seems unlikely that they will be handed a start, especially when the Reds will need defensive work rate from their forwards. Gakpo and Jota could prove to be more effective options against Chelsea away from home.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Jota
