Jurgen Klopp will not look to tinker too much with his lineup when Liverpool face Fulham, although he could make minor changes to his midfield.
Liverpool have the chance to temporarily go two points above Manchester City at the top of the table, as the reigning champions were involved in FA Cup action on Saturday. Liverpool, who currently are a point behind City, would want to win their crucial game against Fulham, although Jurgen Klopp is not expected to make many changes.
The defence is set to pick itself, having only conceded two goals in their last six games in the Premier League, both of which came against Burnley last weekend. Injured defensive stars like Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren are closing in on their returns, although the Fulham game will come too soon to feature.
Alisson is undoubtedly the starting goalkeeper ahead of Simon Mignolet, while Klopp will stick to the defensive quartet of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson at the back.
Klopp though, is set to make tweaks to his midfield three, with Jordan Henderson a certain absentee after picking up an ankle injury against Bayern Munich. The Liverpool captain was then replaced by Fabinho, who is likely to take Henderson’s place in the starting lineup against Fulham.
During his pre-match press conference, Klopp was asked about the situation with Henderson, but more importantly about the returning Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Klopp quickly played down the chances of the midfielder making an imminent return, instead suggesting there is plenty of time for that and the club are in no hurry to get him back on the pitch.
“Oxlade, I heard nothing new about it, so there’s no rush now,” he continued. “Of course not [available] for the weekend anyway, but in general after the international break, he will be 100 percent fit.”
The other change in midfield should see Adam Lallana come into the side place of James Milner, while Georginio Wijnaldum is set to continue in the middle of the park. Naby Keita is still a doubt, although Klopp did suggest he might make a decision on him based on a late fitness test.
Up front, the Liverpool boss will continue to have faith in Champions League hero Sadio Mane, with Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah giving the Senegalese company in the preferred front three. Should Klopp decide to rest any one of the first-choice trifecta, he has the option of calling upon Xherdan Shaqiri, Divok Origi and Daniel Sturridge, but those three are set to be on the bench.
