Liverpool lost 1-0 to Inter Milan Tuesday evening, but advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League 2-1 on aggregate. Now it is back to Premier League action, as they travel to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
There are some potential questions about player availability, but Liverpool should have a similar line-up to Tuesday. For the Liverpool team news go here.
Goalkeeper
Alisson has back-to-back clean sheets in the Premier League and is aiming to make it three in a row Saturday. The Brazilian shot stopper is second in the league with 14 clean sheets, one behind Ederson.
He is a key player for the Reds as they hope to chase down Manchester City to win their second Premier League title in three years.
Defense
Joel Matip earned Premier League Player of the Month honors for the month of February. He is an integral part of Liverpool’s back line and has been in exceptional form. There appear to be no issues with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, and they will start at the outside backs.
There are potential concerns about who the second center back will be.
Both Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk missed training this week, and Jurgen Klopp hinted at potential Covid concerns in his Friday press conference. There is a chance van Dijk was just rested after a long stretch of games, but it is something to keep an eye on.
Midfield
Thiago also missed training after having played a full 90 minutes on Tuesday, so his status is a little unclear. Fabinho keeps his place in the midfield. After starting on the bench Tuesday, Jordan Henderson is set to return to the line-up, likely in place of Curtis Jones.
Liverpool have options for the other spot, but it is likely going to be Thiago or Naby Keita. The latter should get the nod here.
Attack
Roberto Firmino is back for Liverpool, which provides the team with even more options up front. It is hard to see Firmino jumping right back into a starting role, but he can have an impact off the bench.
Luis Diaz has fit in well since signing in January and can get another opportunity Saturday. Mo Salah hasn’t scored in his last two games, which for him classifies as a drought. But it’s hard to leave the league’s top scorer on the bench.
The other spot comes down to Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane. Both are solid options, but Mane gets the nod.
Predicted Liverpool Starting XI (4-3-3): Alisson, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Naby Keita, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Luis Diaz, Sadio Mane, Mo Salah.