| Friday, May 9th |
Premier League | Anfield
12:30PM BDT/7:30AM EDT
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Woodman; Jones, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Frimpong, Gakpo, Wirtz
With some positive news coming out of the LFC camp in terms of injuries, it looks like Arne Slot will have some depth to play with as Giorgio Mamardashvili and Alexander Isak are in contention to return to the team in time for Saturday. It also looks like whatever kept Ibrahima Konate and Florian Wirtz out of training this week is mild/low-level in that they’re also expected to be fit to face the Blues.
It may be a bit too soon for Mamardashvili to expect him to make the starting line-up and I feel there may be a desire to be cautious with Isak as well given how this season has gone in terms of injuries, but I sense both at least make the bench. Which means that it’s entirely likely we’ll see the exact same starting XI rolled out tomorrow as faced Manchester United last week.
I’m, of course, hopeful that we’ll see the return of Mama as while Woodman’s done an admirable job filling in between the sticks last week’s performance put on display the gap between even the third and second choice keepers. I am also holding out hope that we see Rio Ngumoha deployed from the start, forcing Wirtz into the 10 role, shifting Dominik Szoboszlai out right, moving Curtis Jones back into midfield, and then allowing Jeremie Frimpong to take up his natural position at right-back. I think Alexis Mac Allister needs a break and this would be good for the team.
Liverpool still hold the keys in terms of Champions League qualification, but three points here would be a massive step towards ticking off this box.
The Managers Have Their Say
Arne Slot: “[It’s] always a difficult game for both teams because there’s so much quality on both ends. So, it doesn’t matter that much at the moment, I think, how much you lost or how much you won. It’s a game between a lot of very good individual players and let’s hope we have a very good team performance as well because that usually helps individuals in being even better.”
Calum McFarlane: “Liverpool are a really good side with a lot of threats that we have to be aware of. We also have a lot of good players, and we’re just focusing on ourselves at the moment and making sure that our performance levels are at a higher level than what they have been.”
Referee: Craig Pawson Assistants: Lee Betts, Mat Wilkes Fourth Official: Bobby Madley
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