Fulham are Wednesday’s visitors to Anfield as the Reds look to extend their winning run to five straight matches. So how could Liverpool line up?
Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw on the opening day of the season at Craven Cottage, having fallen behind twice to goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Form and results have significantly improved in recent weeks as the Reds have stepped up their pursuit of a European spot.
But Jurgen Klopp will be hoping his side can eliminate the defensive lapses that saw Tottenham recover a three-goal deficit at the weekend.
Here’s how Liverpool could line up.
Team news
Here is the latest following Klopp’s press conference on Tuesday:
- Roberto Firmino remains out of action with a muscle injury
- Diogo Jota is a doubt as he is “struggling” with a bruised rib
- Thiago‘s fitness was not mentioned after being left out on Sunday
Liverpool’s XI vs. Fulham
Fulham are the second of three visitors to Anfield in the space of seven days, meaning Klopp may need to make some changes in order to preserve legs.
Joel Matip will be hoping to pick up where he left off after producing a Man of the Match display and scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 win at West Ham.
Curtis Jones is continuing to impress in midfield having made it six consecutive starts against Tottenham and is likely to keep his place for the midweek clash.
Jota has been in impressive goalscoring form since ending his 372-day drought with a brace at Elland Road, and will feel he has earned a starting spot against Fulham – if fit.
This is how the team could look on Wednesday night:
- Matip to replace Ibrahima Konate at the back
- Jones to make his seventh start in a row
- Jota to replace Luis Diaz in the front three
This is how Liverpool would line up:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Jones; Salah, Jota, Gakpo
There are other options for Klopp if he is looking to shake things up more during this busy period.
For one, Andy Robertson looked leggy during the 4-3 win over Tottenham, and could benefit from a night off.
However, the space vacated by Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s position switch suggests it may not be a chance for Kostas Tsimikas, and instead, Joe Gomez may be more useful in the hybrid role of left-back and third centre-back.
Darwin Nunez‘s last start came a month ago in the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge and he will be desperate to take Jota’s place should the rib issue rule him out.
With this in mind, we could instead see something like this:
- Robertson to be rested at left-back and be replaced by Gomez
- Nunez to return to the front three in place of Diaz
- Konate to keep his place at centre-back
Here’s how an alternate team could look:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dik, Gomez; Fabinho, Henderson, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo
Whichever side Klopp selects to face Fulham, he will be hoping to continue the momentum his team have built up from the four consecutive wins.
It is a sprint to the finish between now and the end of the season, with fans already starting to dream about taking all three points from each of the last nine fixtures.
Up the Reds!
