Federico Chiesa might not be fit enough to make his Liverpool bow against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Liverpool will be eager to continue the perfect start to the 2024/25 season when they lock horns with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday evening. And Arne Slot has a new player in his squad after the summer transfer window.
Federico Chiesa has joined Liverpool from Juventus in an economical deal, arriving well ahead of the deadline for player registration for Gameweek 3. However, he might not be fit enough to take the field against Manchester United on Sunday.
Curtis Jones is the only player on the sidelines, with the young Englishman regaining match fitness. Meanwhile, Slot discussed the possibility of Chiesa featuring in the matchday squad during his pre-match press conference.
The Liverpool manager said on Friday, “He’s going to train with us today but it’s a bigger chance that he is not in the squad for Sunday than he is. If injuries might come up in the upcoming two days we might need him, but I don’t expect him to be in but I cannot guarantee this.”
Slot also spoke about Curtis Jones and his progress off the field. The Dutch tactician said, “At the moment there are not any other injuries except for Curtis Jones. He will not train with us today [Friday]. But the rest will train with us today.”
Chiesa will unlikely take the field to take on Manchester United, with Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez being the two attacking options on the bench. Diogo Jota will spearhead the Liverpool attack at Old Trafford this weekend, with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz completing the numbers in the final third.
As for the midfield unit,
there is no looking past Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister in the double pivot. Dominik Szoboszlai will reprise the no. 10 role. Meanwhile, the backline will not see any changes, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson being the full-backs and Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate starting as the central defenders. Finally, Alisson Becker is the automatic pick between the sticks.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Jota
