Liverpool FC will be heavily favored when they host Welsh side Cardiff City FC on Saturday in an afternoon Premier League fixture. When considering the starting lineup that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp might go with in this one, the focus is on Fabinho, who made just his second start with the Reds last night in their resounding 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade in Champions League group play.
The Brazilian, who arrived from Monaco in the summer, turned 25 the night before the game, and the birthday boy impressed in the victory. It’s looking likely that he’ll keep his place in the first team this weekend, as captain Jordan Henderson is likely not to be fit in time for the clash against the Bluebirds.
“Very good. Very, very good,” said Klopp when asked to assess the defensive midfielder’s performance in the rout over Red Star.
“The present for his birthday was not that he was in the lineup, it was that we played his favorite system with a double-six. He played really well and it was good to see. He was very aggressive and everything was there.”
“For his first game for a while, his second [start] from the beginning, it was good, really good. It is quite impressive what people saw tonight.
“It always helps a player if you play a good game — it helped us tonight and helped him. That was the start, so let’s carry on.”
The Bank Liverpool FC Starting XI Prediction
Attackers: Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah
Midfielders: Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Fabinho
Back line: Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Goalkeeper: Alisson
Liverpool vs Cardiff City FC FYIs
Jurgen Klopp Press Conference Video: coming Friday
Injury Report for both teams: go to this link
Kickoff: Saturday October 27, 3pm BST, Anfield
Odds via Bet365: Liverpool 1/10, Draw 8/1, Cardiff City FC 20/1
Prediction: Liverpool 3, Cardiff City FC 0
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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