With Liverpool returning to form with their 6-3 win over Tottenham, Arne Slot must decide whether to stick or twist with his starting XI against Leicester.
To a man, Liverpool were superb on Sunday.
The forwards ran riot, the midfield covered endless amounts of ground and the defence, despite conceding three, were a key part of the Reds’ game plan.
Playing Leicester at home poses a different set of questions, though, and Slot must decide whether to rotate his team for the Anfield clash.
Here’s how Liverpool could line up.
Team news
The Reds should only be without two players for this one:
- Ibrahima Konate remains out with a knee injury
- Conor Bradley is also still missing due to a hamstring issue
- Federico Chiesa missed the last game so it’s unclear if he’ll be available
- Rest of the squad expected to be available for selection
Liverpool’s XI vs. Leicester
This being Slot’s first time without a winter break, he must learn to deal with the congested fixture schedule.
He will have to balance the desire to play his first-choice XI with the need for rest, though Liverpool have been dealt a slightly kinder hand than other teams.
After playing Leicester on Thursday, the Reds take on West Ham this Sunday. Following that, there is a full week’s gap until the meeting with Man United on January 5.
Here are Slot’s likely selection choices:
- Given the four-day break before the game, Slot may stick with the same side that beat Tottenham
- Luis Diaz starts as drifting centre-forward again as Dominik Szoboszlai fills in through the middle
- Joe Gomez starts a seventh consecutive match for Liverpool
This is how Liverpool would line up:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo
With Leicester continuing to concede plenty of goals under new coach Ruud van Nistelrooy – they lost 3-0 to strugglers Wolves on Sunday – Slot may see this as a chance to change his side.
Even if that is the case, it would likely only consist of a couple of alterations.
The Dutchman will want to get Diogo Jota involved where possible, and Curtis Jones could start also. You would expect whoever drops out for the Leicester match would return against West Ham.
- In this scenario, Jones starts instead of a rested Szoboszlai in midfield
- Jota starts up front as Diaz goes out to the left wing
- Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister take up the other midfield spots
Here’s how this alternate team would look:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Jota, Diaz
Liverpool could well be playing Leicester at a good time and they definitely have the quality to make things relatively comfortable come the closing stages at Anfield.
Without wanting to jinx things, the atmosphere in L4 should be bouncing with the Reds top of the table and it would be no surprise to see Liverpool start quickly, like against Tottenham.
Come on, Liverpool!
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