Aston Villa visit this weekend and Jurgen Klopp has a big decision to make up front.
The Reds have made a promising start to the 2023/24 season despite a difficult opening game and will be hoping to take 10 points from a possible 12 on Sunday afternoon.
Heading to Newcastle, the manager made the first adjustments of the 11th season so far, with more options available for further changes. It was mixed news on the fitness front when Klopp spoke to the media ahead of the match, with one midfielder’s return to training offset by another setback.
Here’s how Liverpool could line up.
Team news
Here’s what the manager told us:
Thiago suffered a “minor setback” and is unavailable
Curtis Jones claims he is ‘training full time’
Ibrahima Konate remains out but has been called up by France
Liverpool XI v Aston Villa
Brave Man would have sidelined Darwin Nunez after his exploits in St. James’ Park gave the Reds all three points last weekend.
The Uruguayan is yet to start this season, limited to three substitute appearances, but is almost certainly on the manager’s mind after his recent performances.
Elsewhere, Liverpool must plan for life without their skipper as Virgil van Dijk is banned for his red card against the Magpies.
A headache for Klopp, but he could do the following:
Nunez replaces Cody Gakpo in the center of the offense
Van Dijk is replaced by Joe Gomez
The midfield remains unchanged from the trip to Newcastle
Liverpool’s line-up would be as follows:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Gomez, Robertson; Endo, Szoboszlai, MacAllister; Salah, Diaz, Nunez
While it would be a big ask to leave Nunez, it would also be a difficult decision to leave Gakpo due to his intelligent play in both midfield and forward this season.
The Dutchman is not yet in 2023/24. scored goals for the Reds in 2016 and wants to get off the mark sooner rather than later.
Diogo Jota is also eyeing a starting place, but the competition for places is tight as all five of Klopp’s forwards are currently in full fitness.
Instead, we could look like this:
Gakpo has his place in center forward
Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah follow him in the top three
An unchanged midfield with Gomez at the back
Reds alternative line-up:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Gomez, Robertson; Endo, Szoboszlai, MacAllister; Salah, Diaz, Nunez
Big decisions await this weekend as Liverpool’s embarrassment of attacking riches gives Klopp plenty to think about. New signing Ryan Gravenberch was not registered in time for Sunday, meaning the midfield will almost certainly remain intact barring injuries.
The absence of Van Dijk and Konate will leave the Reds short-handed, but Gomez will be hoping to build on his solid performances on Tyneside.
Regardless of how Liverpool fare, we hope it’s another big performance on the way to the all-important three points.
