Liverpool welcome back veteran England midfielder James Milner who missed the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 clash against Manchester United because of an illness.
James Milner is a key member of the Reds’ team, bringing in some much-needed match experience in the wake of Steven Gerrard’s departure. The Englishman will most likely be starting the match, with compatriot Adam Lallana making way for him in the starting linup. Milner’s defensive contribution is something that Jurgen Klopp will have in mind as he sets out to protect Liverpool’s two-goal advantage from the first leg.
The former Manchester City midfielder will start alongside Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and defensive midfielder Emre Can as part of a midfield trio. Apart from this one change, the Reds will most likely stick to a similar starting eleven as the one in the first leg. First choice keeper Simon Mignolet will play in goal, with Alberto Moreno, Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne making up the back four.
The return of the injury prone forward Daniel Sturridge has given Liverpool a massive boost at the business end of the season. He scored from the spot in the first leg, and will continue in his role as the central striker in the second leg. He will be flanked by the two Brazilian attacking sensations that have sparked the Reds’ recent run of good form– Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino.
As far as injuries go, Jurgen Klopp has few concerns ahead of the fixture. However, his experienced, first-choice centre-back Martin Skrtel is still out with a hamstring problem. The Slovakian defender is reportedly in the final stages of the recovery phase and could start featuring for the Reds sooner rather than later. Liverpool are also missing striker Danny Ings, although their varied attacking options make up for the loss.
