Having a near-fully fit squad brings positive selection headaches for Arne Slot as he prepares Liverpool to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
If there was any complacency before the Reds’ last outing against Forest in September, their only league defeat of the season so far, it will have been well and truly washed away for this fixture.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s team have surprised everyone with their impressive form this campaign, which has left them third in the table at the halfway point of the season.
Having had an FA Cup tie against Accrington Stanley to rest some of his key men, Slot should field what is pretty much his first XI at the City Ground.
Here’s how Liverpool could line up.
Team news
Here’s who will be missing for Liverpool:
- Darwin Nunez is suspended after picking up five league yellow cards this season
- Joe Gomez is “quite far” from returning, said Slot, and “isn’t training with the team yet”
Liverpool’s XI vs. Nottingham Forest
Most of the starting lineup can be predicted based on who we did and didn’t see against Accrington Stanley.
None of Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz played on Saturday, while Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo didn’t even make the squad.
Therefore, we can assume that all of these players will start against Forest.
The only real question lies with Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai. Despite Jones being rested in the FA Cup, Szoboszlai’s display combined with the Scouser’s drop in form has left many feeling the Hungarian deserves his place back in the team.
Diogo Jota is the other who could lay claim to a starting spot. However, given that he played 90 minutes against Accrington Stanley, it seems very unlikely that he will start again on Tuesday.
Here are Slot’s likely selection options:
- Jones starts over Szoboszlai after being rested on Saturday
- Robertson keeps Kostas Tsimikas out of the team despite the Greek’s promising display in the FA Cup
- Liverpool return to the front three of Salah, Diaz and Gakpo which played against Man United
This is how Liverpool would line up:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo
There were several performances to get excited about against Accrington Stanley, but it is highly unlikely we see any of those that made their mark on Saturday get a chance against Forest.
This is a different level of opposition and the match will be played at a much higher intensity.
Despite the game being at the City Ground, Liverpool should have more of the ball and will have to work hard to break the hosts down.
Jones may be better placed to help in this respect than Szoboszlai, but Liverpool definitely missed the No. 8’s running power against Man United and Tottenham.
Whoever Slot selects will have a tough night on their hands in the East Midlands.
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