Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson are set to return to the starting eleven when Liverpool take on Leeds United on Wednesday.
Liverpool will aim to mount further pressure on Manchester City in the Premier League title race when they welcome Leeds United on Wednesday evening. The Reds are in red hot form heading into this game, having secured eight back to back wins in all competitions, and could potentially bridge the gap to just three points at the top.
However, with the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea just around the corner, Jurgen Klopp is facing a major selection dilemma. The Liverpool boss rested a host of key players during the weekend affair with Norwich City, and one would imagine a few of them to return, if not all.
“We have to try everything for this game, and that’s what we did against Norwich,” Klopp said during his pre-match presse conference. “We made the changes for Norwich not because of the Leeds game or the final at the weekend. We made them because we needed the fresh legs and intensity in this game, and some players were ready for a rest as well, so that’s why we made the changes. That’s exactly how we will do it now.”
Some of the players destined to return to the starting eleven are the two premier full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson. They are set to come in for Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas, thus forming the Liverpool back four alongside Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip, with Alisson Becker starting in goal.
Moving into midfield, Thiago Alcantara is set to make his 50th Liverpool appearance. He is likely to be joined by Jordan Henderson and Fabinho as Klopp looks to ring in the changes in the middle of the park, with both Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set to return to the bench.
Moving into the attack, Klopp has confirmed the absence of Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino. “No, for tomorrow, no chance, and then [for] the final we will see,” said the German. “I don’t know in the moment. It would be easy to say now ‘no’, but we will see. They are [pushing] but they were not on the pitch for training [yet] so that’s not a good sign. We have to see what we can do with the boys in the next few days and then we make a decision later in the week.”
With both the strikers ruled out, the onus will be on new signing Luis Diaz to spearhead the Liverpool frontline, as the Colombian looks to form Liverpool’s attacking trio alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Diaz, Mane