After a chastening defeat against Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday, Liverpool will hope to keep the pressure on Manchester City when they take on Newcastle United later today.
The Reds still have an outside chance of progressing to the final, but only a special performance will help them in the return leg.
The domestic title is still up for grabs, however, and it’s imperative Liverpool keep their good run in the league going and leapfrog Manchester City before the Sky Blues face Leicester City on Sunday.
Jürgen Klopp sounded disappointed while revealing that Naby Keita’s season is over after the former Leipzig man suffered an adductor injury against Barcelona.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain might come in for the injured Keita, but it’s unlikely the Ox will start against Newcastle considering he isn’t 100% match-fit yet.
Roberto Firmino came on as a substitute against Barcelona, and it remains to be seen if he will start.
Defence
We expect Trent Alexander-Arnold to return to the starting lineup at the expense of Joe Gomez who started at right-back. Andy Robertson had a good outing against Barcelona, and should keep his place on the left.
Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip should start at the heart of the defence, and they will be up against a tricky Newcastle attack who do well on the break.
Midfield
With Keita injured, we expect Gini Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson to play alongside Fabinho. The Brazilian should keep his place as the deepest midfielder.
Wijnaldum featured in a more attacking role against Barcelona, and even though he is expected to play in midfield, he’ll likely get forward against his former club.
Attack
Should Firmino fail to return in time, we could see Xherdan Shaqiri finally get a start. The Swiss international might feature on the right, allowing Mohamed Salah to play up top. Sadio Mane should keep his place on the left.
Salah and Mane are separated by just one goal in the race for the golden boot, and will want to make the most of their opportunities once again.
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