Virgil van Dijk, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Darwin Nunez will return to the Liverpool starting lineup against Fulham on Sunday.
A win on Sunday against Fulham can take Liverpool above Manchester City if the reigning Premier League champions fail to beat Tottenham Hotspur later in the day. The Reds are undoubtedly the better team on paper, and the fans will be expecting a strong performance here.
Liverpool picked up an impressive draw away to Manchester City in their last league outing, and they should be come out on top here. But the home side will be without the services of their three long-term absentees — Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic and Andrew Robertson.
All three players are out for the foreseeable future, and they are only expected to return to action next year. Meanwhile, Diogo Jota and Alisson Becker picked up knocks against Manchester City, and they will not be available to take on Fulham.
The Reds are likely to shape up in their usual 4-3-3 formation with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal in the absence of Alisson. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kostas Tsimikas will continue as the full-backs. The duo will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch.
Ibrahima Konate is likely to get a start here as well after being withdrawn at the hour mark during the midweek. Virgil van Dijk will start alongside him in the central defensive partnership. Meanwhile, Klopp spoke about Konate’s withdrawal during his pre-match press conference.
The Liverpool boss said, “Ibou, top [performance]. That we took him off was a medical decision. No risks, stuff like this, give him minutes but not too long.”
In the midfield, Alexis Mac Allister will come into the side as the defensive midfielder. The Argentine international will look to keep things compact in the middle of the park. Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones will add creativity and drive to the side. Finally, Darwin Nunez should lead the line for the hosts, with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz on either side of him.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Diaz
