Liverpool face Leeds United on Saturday evening, and in most other seasons you would call this a foregone conclusion.
Indeed, with Liverpool playing at Anfield against a team who haven’t won in eight you would imagine that there would only be one winner here.
However, this season it’s seemingly easier to predict the lottery numbers than it is to predict Liverpool’s results.
The Reds lost 1-0 to basement boys, Nottingham Forest, last weekend and while Leeds are certainly underdogs heading into this game, they know that Liverpool are there for the taking if they turn up.
This may not be a straightforward game for Liverpool, and with that in mind, we’ve had a go at predicting the Reds’ starting XI for this one.
We think that Jurgen Klopp will make just one change from the team that beat Ajax 3-0 over in Amsterdam in midweek.
The Reds were very impressive in the Champions League against the Eredivisie giants, and we think that they will by and large stick with the same players who got them over the line in Europe.
Jordan Henderson is a doubt for this game, so Thiago comes in for him after recovering from his ear infection.
Aside from that, it’s the same team we saw against Ajax, and Klopp continues to experiment with the 4-4-2 diamond formation that we saw against Ajax.
Leeds play in a very narrow style, so the 4-4-2 diamond will provide the Reds with a way to deal with the overload that they’re likely to experience in the middle of the park in this game.
Harvey Elliott once again gets a chance to shine in midfield, while Joe Gomez partners Virgil van Dijk as he tries to continue his good form as of late.
Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah once again start as a strike partnership that will surely strike fear into the heart of the opposition’s defence.
This is a game that could go any way, it could either be a tight affair or Liverpool could blow Leeds away, Jurgen Klopp will be hoping for the latter rather than the former, that’s for sure.
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