Thiago Alcantara is ruled out, but Neco Williams could be in line to return when Liverpool play hosts to Midtjylland on Tuesday.
Liverpool’s congested run of fixtures continues as they lock horns with Midtjylland in the second match of the UEFA Champions League. The Reds are coming on the back of a 1-0 win over Ajax in the first game and will be looking to move one step closer towards qualification to the Round of 16 with another three points at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp, heading into the game, was hoping to have Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita back in contention. But, the Liverpool boss confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the midfield duo has been ruled out for this fixture, along with Joel Matip.
The Liverpool boss told his pre-match press conference, “It’s still what I said last week, we look day by day. It looks like we will need a few more days. For tomorrow night, they probably will not be ready.”
Matip’s absence, in particular, pretty much guarantees a spot for Joe Gomez in central defence, alongside Fabinho, who has done a great job of replacing Virgil van Dijk so far. Klopp, however, could potentially rest Trent Alexander-Arnold, with Neco Williams returning to the side, although he will not have the same liberty on the right flank as new signing Kostas Tsimikas is missing out.
Alisson Becker, meanwhile, confirmed that he is fit to play despite having just recovered from an injury. Asked whether he still felt pain in the shoulder area, the goalkeeper told reporters on Monday, “Nothing that puts limits on my way to play – I’m really 100 per cent fit to play and I’m comfortable with that.”
The Brazilian, therefore, is set to retain his place in goal, ahead of Adrian. In midfield, Keita and Thiago’s absence might paved the way for James Milner to make his return to the starting lineup. As such, Georginio Wijnaldum could occupy the slightly advanced midfield role, with Jordan Henderson and Milner supporting him in the second line of press.
Moving forward, Klopp could fancy giving Sadio Mane a breather as Liverpool are due to play West Ham United on Saturday. Unfortunately, he can’t do the same to Mohamed Salah as Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain is out injured. So we can expect the Egyptian to operate in one of the two wider attacking roles alongside Diogo Jota, providing support to the central striker Roberto Firmino.
Liverpool Predicted XI: Alisson; Williams, Gomez, Fabinho, Robertson; Milner, Henderson Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Jota
