Arne Slot is expected to rotate his starting lineup against Eintracht Frankfurt, with several players due an opportunity after four defeats in a row.
Liverpool’s busy schedule ensures defeats cannot be lamented for too long, with Wednesday’s fixture in the Champions League offering a swift opportunity to start the turnaround.
Slot has averaged 3.5 changes for European fixtures this season, and he could be set to exceed that figure should he seek to inject fresh legs and reward performances from the bench.
There are a handful of players who have a strong argument to feature, but will Liverpool’s head coach be willing to make the necessary changes?
Team news: No Gravenberch
• Ryan Gravenberch absent from training with an ankle injury
• Wataru Endo returned to training after hamstring issue
• Alisson is still sidelined, as are Giovanni Leoni, Stefan Bajcetic and Jayden Danns
Liverpool’s XI vs. Frankfurt
The expectation is that Slot has to make the necessary changes to his starting lineup after naming an unchanged side in the defeat to Man United.
With Gravenberch suffering an ankle injury, it likely means Curtis Jones will take his position in midfield with Dominik Szoboszlai to sit alongside the Scouser behind the more advanced Florian Wirtz.
Virgil van Dijk is the first name on the teamsheet, and you can almost guarantee he starts next to Ibrahima Konate, with changes in defence instead made at full-back.
Jeremie Frimpong and Andy Robertson are strong candidates to replace Conor Bradley and Milos Kerkez, respectively, in a return to the back four that started against Atletico Madrid.
There is an argument to drop Mohamed Salah, but he has more trust from Slot than Federico Chiesa, for example, with Cody Gakpo and the returning Hugo Ekitike likely to make up the front three.
Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
With Alexander Isak starting three games in a row for club and country, it is realistic to suggest Ekitike will be the man chosen to lead the line, but Slot could opt to play both of them.
The pair have briefly shared the pitch twice this season, albeit when Liverpool were chasing a result, but there is potential with the duo and Wirtz as the connector.
It would add a different dynamic at the cost of Cody Gakpo‘s place, who has clocked 354 minutes in just over two weeks.
There has been an obvious resistance from Slot to start Chiesa, but the Italian has been involved in four of Liverpool’s last five goals and is playing with the confidence Salah currently isn’t displaying.
Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Szoboszlai; Chiesa, Wirtz, Ekitike; Isak
There will also be arguments for Joe Gomez, Alexis Mac Allister and Bradley to start, and they are all worthy options for Slot.
Liverpool have to make changes to arrest their form and rediscover their confidence, and supporters will hope to see Slot feels the same when the team sheet lands on Wednesday evening.
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