Liverpool make their long-awaited return to Premier League action on Saturday, hosting Brighton at Anfield. How can we expect them to line up, and could Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota rest?
The Seagulls’ visit marks the first of 13 games in six weeks for the Reds, before their World Cup campaign comes to a halt.
Having not played since the 2-1 win over Ajax on September 13, and with many of their senior stars in action for their countries during the international break, it will be interesting to see which XI Jurgen Klopp plays for.
The Liverpool manager must factor in the busy schedule ahead, with this game followed by a Champions League encounter with Rangers three days later, before a trip to the Emirates Stadium next weekend.
Will the players who played many minutes in the international break be able to rest this weekend?
Here, we look at two ways the Reds could line up against Brighton.
team news
From Klopp’s pre-match press conference on Friday, we know the following:
Liverpool XI vs. Brighton
One player who could return to the starting eleven this weekend is Jordan Henderson, who returned from injury in England’s draw with Germany on Monday.
With Andy Robertson still out, Kostas Tsimikas is set to continue at left back. Jota led the line in the win over Ajax, but having appeared in both games for Portugal and recently returned from a long-term hamstring problem, he is more likely to start off the bench.
Taking all that into account, Liverpool could look like this:
If those are the changes Klopp is betting on, this would be the Reds’ XI:
Allison; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago; Salah, Diaz, Firmino
However, it wouldn’t be a real surprise to see Klopp pull Diaz out of the line of fire for this one, with the Colombian playing 154 minutes over the course of the international break, and only returning from the US in the opening hours of the match. Wednesday morning.
That may bring Nunez, who played 60 minutes and scored in Uruguay’s win over Canada in Slovakia on Tuesday, into contention. If he, Mohamed Salah and Firmino start attacking, it will be interesting to see who takes on the role of attacker on the left flank.
There’s also a good chance Elliott will retain his place in midfield, as he has been one of Liverpool’s best players so far this season.
Those team changes above would see the Reds set up like this:
Elliott as starter, with Henderson on the bench DÃaz and Jota rested Salah, Firmino and Núñez in attack
Will this be the team to start against Brighton?
Allison; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Elliott, Thiago; Salah, Firmino, Nunez
There’s a lot to consider, then, for Jurgen, but he certainly won’t complain.
With Kelleher, Konate, Ramsay and Henderson returning to form, Liverpool’s injury list doesn’t look as extensive as it did before the break.
Buckle up Reds, October is going to be busy!
