We take a look at how Jurgen Klopp could line up his Reds for Sunday’s clash against Crystal Palace, with some tough decisions facing the Liverpool boss.
The Reds arrive at Selhurst Park looking to banish their recent SE25 woes against the Eagles with a third straight Premier League victory.
Klopp has called on his group to show consistency at a crucial period of the season as his team begin their final push to secure a fourth place finish.
And the German manager has a welcome amount of quality and options to choose from to give his side the best possible chance of finding an improved level of steadiness at a notoriously unhappy hunting ground.
Team News
- Selection dilemmas throughout for Klopp with strong group at his disposal
- But Lucas unavailable with thigh injury ruling him out for 5-6 weeks
- Sakho to be assessed after only light training since Wembley head injury
- Sturridge “trained completely normally” and set to return
- Coutinho also in contention to come back in after midweek rest
- Moreno fit after Wembley knock saw him benched in 3-0 City win
- Flanagan hopeful of making consecutive starts in the capital
- Toure and Lovren could form centre-back pairing again if Sakho fails to recover
- Can and Henderson set to continue midfield partnership
- Milner, Lallana & Firmino could all keep starting shirts in attack
- Origi hopeful of featuring after impressive display in Sturridge’s absence
Liverpool’s XI vs. The Eagles
Klopp admitted he has some tough decisions ahead in his pre-match press conference.
Having spoken of the importance of managing the squad sensibly as the team compete in two competitions, changes are likely to be forthcoming with rested legs to be introduced after two games in quick succession.
That could see Moreno come in for Flanagan in defence and Sturridge replace Origi in attack, while Coutinho could again be held in reserve, with Milner, Lallana and Firmino all producing the goods in midweek.
Two changes would see Liverpool line up like this against Pardew’s side:
However, the need to manage the squad could see Clyne rested ahead of Man United’s Europa League visit, along with Toure, allowing Flanagan to play at right-back and Sakho, should he recover, to return.
And with the Reds needing points as they fight for fourth, Coutinho could come in to bolster attacking creativity and threat alongside Lallana and Firmino in support of Sturridge, with Milner dropping out.
Another strong line up could see the Reds look like this come 1:30pm kick-off time:
Selhurst Park has been a bogey ground for the Reds in recent years, but they must ensure of a happier trip on Sunday with a vital three points needed to close the gap on fourth again.
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