Predicted Liverpool lineup against Brentford: Gakpo, Keita to feature

Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp speaks with Liverpool's Guinean midfielder Naby Keita (L) on the pitch before the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Liverpool at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on December 26, 2019. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Cody Gakpo and Naby Keita will feature when Liverpool and Brentford face off at the Brentford Community Stadium on Monday.

Premier League rivals Manchester City and Tottenham dropped points in their last outings. And Liverpool will be hoping to close the gap to the top four when they lock horns with Brentford at the Brentford Community Stadium on Monday evening.

Liverpool will be without the services of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Arthur Melo for this game. All three players are sidelined with long-term injury problems, and they are not expected to return any time soon.

Brazilian midfielder Fabinho, who missed the Leicester City game due to personal reasons, is expected to return here. Meanwhile, Harvey Elliott and Andrew Robertson picked up knocks against Leicester City last week. But Jurgen confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the injuries are not serious.

“Funnily enough, Harvey, before the game, injured Robbo a little bit. In our warm-up game, he hit him with a knee at the hip, so it was a dead leg. He could play but then at one point the muscle closed and he couldn’t play on. Harvey got a knock, which was quite painful, but when you see the situation because it is clear that’s painful, but that’s it, I think.”

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Apparently, Harvey Elliott was feeling pain due to a challenge and had to be taken off, while Andrew Robertson was suffering from a dead leg. Liverpool are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 with Alisson Becker in goal.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson will continue to feature as the full-backs, and they will look to make their mark at both ends of the pitch. Joel Matip will partner Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the Liverpool defence after two impressive performances against Aston Villa and Leicester City.

In the midfield, Fabinho is set to return as a defensive midfielder, with Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita lining up alongside him. Jordan Henderson put on a dreadful display against Leicester, and the Liverpool captain should be dropped for this game.

As for the offensive unit, Darwin Nunez will continue to lead the line after a couple of impressive performances in the last two league matches. Mohamed Salah will continue on the right flank and January signing Cody Gakpo could make his debut on the left.

Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Keita, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo

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