Jurgen Klopp could use Darwin Nunez on the left-hand side and bring Curtis Jones into the Liverpool midfield against Arsenal at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp will set out a strong team against Arsenal for the top-of-the-table clash at Anfield while tweaking his system to suit the occasion. The Liverpool manager would want an intense and, more importantly, a clinical performance, unlike the Manchester United clash.
During his pre-match press conference, Klopp updated on the fitness of several players while also detailing where Andy Robertson stood on his road towards returning to action.
When asked about fitness updates and the potential chances of anyone returning, all Klopp said was ‘Ryan’. He implied Ryan Gravenberch, who went off against Manchester United and was cast as a doubt for the Arsenal clash. But the manager has declared the Dutchman fit for action and might probably start from the bench.
He did rule out Alexis Mac Allister and Diogo Jota from this clash and said, “Macca and Diogo are getting closer and closer but not ready for tomorrow. That’s it.”
Klopp then went on to provide an update on Robertson’s fitness and when he might potentially return to action after shoulder surgery following an international game.
The Liverpool boss continued, “Andy, I sat yesterday pretty long with him and actually he’s doing well. The problem is a little bit that the shoulder is not there. The rest of the body is fine, but we need to be patient a little bit. We need to be patient a little bit longer, but it’s fine.
“So he can do all the physical work already, which annoys him quite a lot because he’s not allowed for ball training, a little bit of passing maybe and stuff like this – but not properly.
“But physically when he’s ready to go, allowed to go shoulder-wise, then I think it’s a short time until he will be back. We all hope it will be in January but I don’t know.”
In terms of team selection, Klopp will field a familiar-looking lineup considering the personnel available to him. Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk will resume their partnership at the heart of the Liverpool defence, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kostas Tsimikas keep their full-back positions.
Curtis Jones should come into the midfield setup alongside Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai. Jones might suit the game Klopp would want to play against Arsenal, which worked perfectly in this fixture last season at Anfield.
In the attack, Darwin Nunez might have convinced Klopp to use him a bit differently after his midweek display against West Ham. With Luis Diaz not performing well, the manager might use Nunez on the left-hand side while allowing Cody Gakpo to take the central berth. Mohamed Salah remains the undisputed choice on the right wing.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Endo, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Nunez