Jurgen Klopp will make defensive changes for Liverpool’s clash with Huddersfield, which could include a starting role for Jordan Henderson.
The Reds arrive in Yorkshire in desperate need of three points to ensure a blip of back-to-back defeats does not become another mid-season slump.
Indeed, Tuesday’s game is now huge after successive humbling losses, and victory is urgently required to restore form and confidence ahead of a crucial clash with Tottenham on Sunday.
Klopp has confirmed the same squad is at his disposal as was available for the dismal FA Cup exit to West Brom, as he faces best friend David Wagner in the opposite dugout.
But changes are likely to be made to the lineup—particularly in defence as the German seeks a rapid upturn in performance and results.
Team News
- Klopp to shuffle starting XI in search of vastly improved display
- Henderson poised to make first start since return from injury
- Loris Karius back in goal for Premier League duties
- Rested full-back pair Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson set to be restored
- Likes of Dejan Lovren, James Milner, Danny Ings & Dominic Solanke also available
Liverpool’s XI vs. The Terriers
Rested and recovered first choice picks seem set to be introduced, making Klopp’s changes relatively straightforward for what is now a must-win game.
Gomez and Robertson will almost certainly come back in to reassemble what is surely now the first-choice defence—depending on your view on Joel Matip’s adequacy.
Midfield is the only other area with room for manoeuvre, and Henderson seems likely to make his first start since the draw at Arsenal in the No. 6 role after his comeback against West Brom.
A coin toss could decide who should be dropped for the skipper, such were the abysmal performances produced by those in midfield on Saturday night.
But given that this an away game there is seemingly little point in using Gini Wijnaldum, so Emre Can should move to box-to-box duties, leaving Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as the more advanced figure.
The front three picks itself and there is no alternative but to hope the trio all find top form.
Dreadful individual performances produced against the Baggies could feature heavily in Klopp’s thinking, and a slightly different selection could result.
Matip’s dire showing could see the Cameroonian deservedly relegated to the bench, which would mean Lovren enters to partner Virgil van Dijk.
The same applies to Can after his own horror performance, and Klopp could withdraw his compatriot for Henderson, leaving Wijnaldum in alongside Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The front line again seems decided, but an extra change in defence could see Liverpool start with this team against the Terriers:
The Reds must act quickly to prevent a worrying blip from becoming another miserable mid-season slump, and the only way to do that is by claiming a vital three points at the John Smith’s Stadium.
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