Darwin Nunez will replace Cody Gakpo in the Liverpool starting lineup against LOSC Lille for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash at Anfield.
Liverpool will aim to book a spot in the next round of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League when they host LOSC Lille at Anfield on Tuesday night. And Arne Slot does not have any new concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Joe Gomez and Diogo Jota are the only absentees, with the English defender recovering from a hamstring injury and the Portuguese international recovering from a minor issue. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arne Slot provided a fitness update on Jota and Gomez.
The Liverpool manager said, “Maybe Jota [will be back] a bit earlier than Joe. Both of them are expected to be back with us in weeks rather than months.”
Slot also addressed questions on the implication of Jota’s injury on the offensive unit, with Darwin Nunez a candidate to receive more game time. The Dutch tactician gave an extensive response to the question.
The Liverpool manager said, “Of course it’s simple: at the moment we’ve got four attackers that are top-fit and able to start the game, and Darwin is one of them. Then the fifth one is Federico [Chiesa], and then the sixth one, he’s not ready to start 90 yet in my opinion but is coming closer and closer to be able to do so.”
“The reason why he isn’t is because he hasn’t had many minutes yet. So it’s not about him, it’s about me not giving him so many minutes, so that’s difficult for him then all of a sudden to go from five minutes to 90 minutes. That increases the chance for Darwin of course to get more playing time if one of the six is injured, especially if it’s a No.9.”
Darwin Nunez’s match-winning cameo against Brentford this past weekend should earn him a start, with Cody Gakpo making way for him. The Uruguayan international will lead the line for Liverpool against LOSC Lille, with Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, and Harvey Elliott joining him in the final third.
As for the midfield unit, Curtis Jones should replace Ryan Gravenberch as Alexis Mac Allister’s midfield partner, affording the Dutchman some rest. The backline should also see some changes, with Jarell Quansah and Andrew Robertson joining Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk in the defensive quartet. Finally, Alisson Becker will take his spot between the sticks.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Mac Allister; Salah, Elliott, Diaz; Nunez
