Alexander Isak will feature in a Premier League starting lineup for the first time for Liverpool when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
Liverpool will aim to continue a flawless start to the 2025/26 Premier League season when they lock horns with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon. Arne Slot has new roster issues to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Hugo Ekitike had a remarkable brainfade during the EFL Cup third-round tie against Southampton, and taking his shirt off to celebrate the match-winning goal has cost him dearly, as it earned him a second yellow card and a suspension for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.
Additionally, Giovanni Leoni is a long-term absentee after sustaining a long-term knee injury, which will keep him in the treatment room for most of the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign. During his pre-match press conference, Slot discussed Alexander Isak’s progress.
The Liverpool manager said, “He’s able to make minutes again. I still feel 90 – [it] depends also on the pace and the intensity of the game – might be a bit too much. But not only that, also for the long term. So you can maybe give one, I would call, stupid hit to bring him to 90 and then you brought him too far over the line. So, I don’t think it’s smart to play him 90 yet.”
“But he’s further into his pre-season now and normally after two or three weeks in pre-season players go to 60, 70 minutes, and in some clubs they even bring them to 90. But if you look at our pre-season, we mainly bring them to 60 to 70 minutes then.”
Slot also provided a fitness update on Leoni after his ACL damage. The Liverpool boss said, “He is not in a good place, of course, because he tore his ACL and it means he will be out for a year. Being so young and coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game. It’s very hard to take the positive side.”
Slot will ring in the changes on Saturday after rotating his troops against Southampton earlier this week. Alisson Becker will take his spot between the sticks, with the away side lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Crystal Palace. The backline will feature Jeremie Frimpong, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Milos Kerkez.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch in the double pivot. Dominik Szoboszlai will reprise the no. 10 role, with Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo being the two wide attackers. Finally, Alexander Isak will feature in a Premier League starting lineup for the first time for the Reds this weekend, and he will lead the line against Crystal Palace.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Isak
