Andrew Robertson will miss out, but Darwin Nunez will start when Liverpool and Arsenal face off at the Emirates on Sunday.
Liverpool have picked up just two wins from seven Premier League matches so far, and Jurgen Klopp will be under a lot of pressure to get his side firing once again. The Reds are currently 10th in the league table, and they will have to improve considerably in order to grind out a positive result against Arsenal.
The visitors will be without the services of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and summer signing Arthur Melo. All three players are long-term absentees. However, Curtis Jones could return to the squad after proving his fitness in the training sessions.
Meanwhile, Klopp has also confirmed that first choice left-back Andrew Robertson is close to returning. But the Scottish international is unlikely to be ready for the Arsenal game. “Curtis Jones was in training yesterday, it looked good – but that’s now the first session,” Klopp told reporters.
“He’s then probably the closest. We have one new injury, it’s Arthur Melo. In the last session before the Rangers game, in a normal situation he just injured a muscle. We have to wait for further assessment to know exactly how long it will be but he’s out. Robbo is running a lot, looks like he’s close.”
Arsenal vs Liverpool Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
Liverpool switched to a 4-4-2 set-up against Rangers earlier this week against Rangers and looked much improved. Alisson Becker is set to continue in goal, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Kostas Tsimikas starting as the back four.
Alexander-Arnold has been vulnerable defensively this season and will have to raise his levels against one of the best dribblers in the Premier League in Gabriel Martinelli. Meanwhile, Tsimikas will look to continue impressing in the absence of Robertson.
Brazilian midfielder Fabinho has not been at his best this season, and it is fair to assume that Jordan Henderson will continue anchoring the midfield alongside Thiago Alcantara. The Spanish international will be Liverpool’s main creative outlet against the Gunners.
Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz are nailed to start as the wingers. Diaz has been exceptional this season and will hope to cause problems for the Arsenal backline with his pace and trickery. Meanwhile, Salah will hope to get on the scoresheet here.
The Egyptian has not been at his goalscoring best this season, but he could get opportunities against an attack-minded full-back like Oleksandr Zinchenko. Summer signing Darwin Nunez did everything right against Rangers except score a goal. It will be interesting to see if Klopp is ready to hand him another start here. Nunez could start alongside Roberto Firmino, who scored a brace against Brighton & Hove Albion last week.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Salah, Thiago, Henderson, Diaz; Nunez, Firmino
