By Sergio Moya
After the World Cup, Liverpool lost to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup, which was entertaining to watch but ultimately heartbreaking, The Reds' reign as champions came to an end with a 3-2 defeat at the Etihad, as both Fabio Carvalho and Mohamed Salah scored. On Boxing Day, Liverpool will visit Aston Villa to resume their Premier League season
After a break of more than six weeks, here, we take a look at the potential adjustments Jurgen Klopp might make before his team's upcoming game, although Alisson Becker's absence from the starting lineup in goal after the World Cup would be a surprise, Caoimhin Kelleher was once again brilliant versus City.
The same is likely to be true, according to Klopp, for center-back Virgil van Dijk, who missed the Carabao Cup loss after only recently starting training again on Wednesday, It will be quite interesting to see who lines up next to Van Dijk because Ibrahima Konate is not likely to be a contender after helping France advance to the World Cup final on Sunday,
Although Joe Gomez struggled before switching to right-back versus City, Joel Matip played well. Another option is Nat Phillips, who replaced the hurt James Milner before the break, However, Naby Keita's long-awaited return to the starting lineup on Thursday, his first game since July, gives Klopp room to rotate his resources in the engine room.
After appearing as replacements against City following their World Cup participation, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho will be hoping for more playing time at Villa Park. Thiago Alcantara excelled during a 70-minute appearance. Other options include Stefan Bajcetic, a fellow teenager who also made his debut at the Etihad, and Harvey Elliott, though the latter may have to wait until the FA Cup in a fortnight.
29/02/2024
29/02/2024
29/02/2024
29/02/2024
29/02/2024
29/02/2024
29/02/2024
29/02/2024
28/02/2024
28/02/2024
28/02/2024
28/02/2024
28/02/2024
28/02/2024
28/02/2024
28/02/2024
27/02/2024
27/02/2024