Liverpool will look for back-to-back wins as they head to Fulham in the first of their final six games in the Premier League, with Jurgen Klopp likely to rotate.
Having been knocked out of the Europa League, the Reds’ focus is now entirely on the Premier League and an ongoing title race.
The bitterness surrounding a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Atalanta would dissipate with a strong end to the season, as Klopp targets six wins from six.
They can at least take a victory into their trip to Fulham, having earned a 1-0 win in Bergamo on Thursday night, though their efforts in that second leg will need to be taken into account.
With that in mind, Liverpool are likely to take to the field three days on with a number of changes.
Team News
Klopp’s pre-Fulham press conference was, in fact, pre-recorded before the trip to Atalanta, meaning there is little in terms of team news. However, we know:
- Trent Alexander-Arnold “ran out of juice” on first start back
- Diogo Jota suffered knock in buildup to Atalanta, but came off the bench
- Alexis Mac Allister continued “crazy” run playing 540 minutes in 19 days
- Conor Bradley, Thiago, Joel Matip and Ben Doak sidelined with injury
Liverpool’s XI vs. Fulham
Given the demands of Liverpool’s run-in and with only a two-day break between fixtures, Klopp will almost certainly make changes on Sunday.
Alexander-Arnold, Mac Allister and Ibrahima Konate appear the most likely to drop out for fitness reasons, while there could be further rotation in midfield and attack.
Liverpool could opt for the following:
- Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah in for Alexander-Arnold and Konate
- Wataru Endo to replace Mac Allister; Harvey Elliott in for Curtis Jones
- Jota and Darwin Nunez start after bench duty vs. Atalanta
Those six changes would see the Reds line up like this:
Alisson; Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Elliott, Szoboszlai; Salah, Jota, Nunez
With it imperative that Liverpool take six victories from their final six games, though, Klopp could gamble with fewer changes.
That could see:
- Alexander-Arnold retained after being substituted in midweek
- Jones and Szoboszlai ahead of Endo in midfield
- Jota up front with Luis Diaz kept on the left wing
This would mean only three changes and see the following take to the field:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Diaz, Jota
Given the fitness situation is unclear with no updates after Atalanta, it is difficult to accurately predict how Liverpool could line up against Fulham.
But provided there are no major issues, the likelihood is that Klopp will continue to manage his squad and hope a much-changed side keeps up the winning momentum.
Fan Comments