Liverpool will look to bounce back in the Champions League when they take on Red Star Belgrade at Anfield this Wednesday. The Reds suffered a defeat at the hands of Napoli on matchday two of the group stages and it wasn’t a pleasant game to watch for the travelling fans as the team surrendered too meekly against a well-drilled Napoli side.
The defeat saw Napoli move top of the group but the Italians do have two tough fixtures against PSG coming up, so Jürgen Klopp’s side need to take advantage of that.
Liverpool ended their run of four games without a win in all competition with a narrow victory over Huddersfield Town this past Saturday but once again, it was a far from convincing performance.
Mohamed Salah’s goal was enough to seal the win but the Merseyside outfit had to deal with some late pressure from the Terriers.
Liverpool Team News
The international break resulted in a few injuries to key Liverpool players, Sadio Mane missed the tie against Huddersfield but is back in training and available for selection against Red Star. Naby Keita, however, is still out.
Klopp gave Adam Lallana a start and he is in line to feature once again after putting in a decent performance in midfield. Jordan Henderson picked up an injury against Huddersfield and might not start, so we could see Fabinho getting his first start for the Reds in the Champions League.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup
Defence
Trent Alexander-Arnold hasn’t played in the last two games but is in line to start against Red Star. This could mean Joe Gomez playing alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
Alberto Moreno hasn’t played much this season and could get a start in place of Andy Robertson who perhaps needs a breather. Alisson should keep his place in goal against the Serbians.
Midfield
Jordan Henderson’s absence means Gini Wijnaldum will start in the deepest midfield role. Fabinho could be a good choice on the right considering he played as a right-back at Monaco and likes getting into the half spaces while Adam Lallana could keep his place on the left side of the midfield. Milner is likely to get a few minutes in the second half though.
Attack
Klopp rotated his attack against Huddersfield, so Mane and Firmino will be fresh for the upcoming tie. Salah featured and his goal will give him a lot of confidence as he was going through a mini-drought.
Mane- Firmino – Salah
Lallana – Wijnaldum – Fabinho
Moreno – van Dijk – Gomez – TAA
Alisson
