Jurgen Klopp could welcome a few key stars to the Liverpool lineup, with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah set for starts against Arsenal.
Jurgen Klopp is gearing up for table-topping Arsenal’s visit to Anfield. He will hope Liverpool continue their unbeaten run against the Gunners at home, with Mikel Arteta’s side last winning here in 2012. The Reds’ boss will look to make plenty of changes to his side from their dull draw against Chelsea earlier this week.
As per the update on the official site, Liverpool could recall several of their rested stars for the clash against Arsenal. Klopp, during his pre-match press conference, provided updates on the statuses of key injured personnel, including Thiago Alcantara and Luis Diaz, with the duo already in full training.
Klopp said, “Virgil, completely normal, was back in training. Luis and Thiago training completely normal. The plan with Luis is that he will be available 100 per cent for Leeds. Again, it looks good, everything is fine, but it was a long, long injury and, so we have to be careful.”
“We will probably not involve him for Sunday. Thiago looks slightly different. He was not out that long, trained now three, four times with the team and might be available. But we have to check how he feels today.”
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The team news update also hinted Diaz was completely ready for the game against Leeds, and the Arsenal clash might come too soon. Yet, Klopp could assess his progress late on Saturday and possibly keep him on as a bench option.
Regarding the lineup, Alisson remains firmly settled between the sticks, although he will have a changed back four from the Chelsea game. Klopp is set to recall Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson, with Ibrahima Konate retaining his place.
James Milner could come in on the right side of midfield instead of Curtis Jones. Jordan Henderson could move to the left-hand side, with Fabinho standing in between the duo at the base. Despite Klopp’s strong hints about Thiago, the Spanish international may not be ready to start yet but could feature on the bench.
Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo are set for returns in the starting lineup instead of Roberto Firmino and Darwin Nunez. Only Diogo Jota could remain in the front three for the Arsenal game, and he could extend his tremendous record against the north Londoners.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Milner, Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Gakpo, Jota
