Liverpool will look to continue their Premier League title charge when they host Burnley at Anfield on Saturday.
Liverpool were beaten soundly by Arsenal in their last league game, and they will look to bounce back strongly when they welcome Burnley to Anfield on Saturday. The Reds have picked up four wins from their last five matches in the Premier League, and they will be the firm favourites to pick up all three points this weekend.
Meanwhile, Burnley are winless in their last five league matches, and they are 19th in the league table. They cannot keep dropping points if they want to preserve their status as a Premier League club next season. It will be interesting to see if they can pile further misery on Liverpool and grind out a morale-boosting result here.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Liverpool will be without Joel Matip and Stefan Bajcetic. Both players are long-term absentees here. Kostas Tsimikas is still recovering from his collarbone injury, while Mohamed Salah is unlikely to be risked here.
Dominik Szoboszlai will likely miss out for a few weeks with a muscle injury. Thiago Alcantara picked up a hamstring injury on his return against Arsenal, and he is set to be sidelined for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Ibrahima Konate is suspended after being sent off against Arsenal.
Liverpool will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Alisson Becker in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Joe Gomez will start at the heart of the defense along with Virgil Van Dijk.
As for the midfield unit, Alexis Mac Allister will continue in his anchor role, and he will look to control the tempo of the game and help out defensively. Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott will look to add creativity and control to the side alongside him. Finally, Darwin Nunez will lead the line for Liverpool against Burnley, with Diogo Jota on his right and Luis Diaz on the left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Elliott, Mac Allister, Jones; Jota, Nunez, Diaz
Burnley
The away side are without Nathan Redmond (hamstring) and Luca Koleosho (knee) because of their respective injuries. Jordan Beyer might also miss out, while Charlie Taylor and Hannes Delcroix face late fitness tests to determine their availability. They will shape up in a 4-4-2 formation, with James Trafford taking his spot between the sticks.
Lorenz Assignon and Vitinho will start as the full-backs. They will look to protect the central defenders and help out during counter-attacks. Dara O’Shea will form the central defensive unit alongside Maxime Esteve.
Sander Berge will start in the middle of the park alongside Josh Brownhill, and the two players will look to add defensive cover to the side and break up opposition attacks. Johan Berg Gudmundsson and Wilson Odobert will start as the wingers here. They will look to protect the full-backs and help out in the final third. Lyle Foster will lead the line for the away side alongside David Datro Fofana.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Trafford; Assignon, O’Shea, Esteve, Vitinho; Gudmundsson, Berge, Brownhill, Odobert; Foster, Fofana
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won eight of their past ten Premier League games against Burnley.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in six against sides in the relegation zone.
- Liverpool have gone 23 league games without defeat at Anfield (W18 D5).
- Diogo Jota has been involved in seven goals in his seven most recent league appearances, scoring five and assisting two.
- Burnley are without a win in their last five Premier League matches (D2 L3).
- Burnley have just one win in their past eight league games on the road (D1 L6).
Player to Watch
Darwin Nunez
The 24-year-old Liverpool striker has 11 goals and 11 assists across all competitions this season, and he will look to continue his recent run of form with a defining performance against Burnley, especially after last weekend.
He was on the bench against Arsenal and only came on later on in the second half. Nunez is expected to start here, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates and get on the scoresheet himself.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-1 Burnley
Liverpool have a number of injury problems, and this is not going to be an easy outing for them. Burnley will want to grind out a positive result here, and they will sense the vulnerability in the home side.
This is likely to be a close contest, but Liverpool have enough attacking quality at their disposal to expose Burnley’s defensive frailties and grind out a narrow win. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Jurgen Klopp and his charges.
