Jurgen Klopp’s team will travel to the midlands to face Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon, and the Reds boss has some key decisions to make regarding his team. Mohamed Salah has been ruled out for the clash, but Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Nunez are in contention. With that being said, here is my predicted lineup…
GK: CAOIMHIN KELLEHER
A no-brainer to start. The Irishman has more than stepped up in the absence of Allison, and his performances against Chelsea and Southampton were outstanding.
RB: CONOR BRADLEY
The right-back decision is another incredibly easy one. Conor Bradley has made himself undroppable in recent weeks, and has been sensational in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. With 4 goals and assists in just 4 matches this season, he will certainly start on Saturday.
CB: IBRAHIMA KONATE
Ibrahima Konate has been an absolute colossus this season for Liverpool. He seems to have gotten over the injury issues which were so problematic at the start of his Liverpool career, and this season he has been exceptional.
CB: VIRGIL VAN DIJK
Who else but the best central defender in the world? I’m running out of words for this man. The captain has stepped up this season and seems to be back to his 2019 best. There were shades of Steven Gerrard in his performance on Sunday, and he will lead Liverpool out tomorrow afternoon.
LB: ANDREW ROBERTSON
Klopp has today confirmed that Robertson has recovered from the illness that stopped him training this week, and he looks likely to start tomorrow. The Scot started in the Carabao Cup final, and his energy on the left-hand side has been sorely missed.
CM: HARVEY ELLIOTT
The 20-year-old has played a LOT of football recently, but I believe he will still start tomorrow afternoon. It was a close decision between him and Bobby Clark, and I could see either youngster starting. He has been fantastic this season, and will look to add to his 2 Premier League goals.
CM: WATARU ENDO
The Japanese midfielder has been the complete surprise package for Liverpool this season. His signing raised many eyebrows, but he has more than proved his doubters wrong. There were concerns surrounding his fitness after the Carabao Cup final, but he has returned to training and if fit, will start tomorrow.
CM: ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER
Similarly to Robertson, Mac Allister has been ill this week but has recovered in time for the game. If he is well enough to start, he has to feature. His importance in this team is now huge, and his calmness and technical ability will be crucial against what will be a tough Nottingham Forest side.
RW: LUIS DIAZ
The Colombian may be forced to start on the right tomorrow to facilitate a potential Darwin Nunez return, but he is more than capable of operating on that side. His slow start to the season has picked up since the New Year, and his speed and ability on the ball will be needed to break down Forest’s defence.
ST: DARWIN NUNEZ
This is an incredibly hopeful selection, and relies on Nunez being 100% fit by tomorrow. In reality, I don’t believe Klopp will risk him from the start, but this could give a huge opportunity to Jayden Danns. The youngster fired 2 goals past Southampton on Wednesday, and if Nunez is unavailable will probably start.
LW: CODY GAKPO
After his underwhelming performance against Chelsea, Gakpo again flattered to deceive on Wednesday night. We’ve seen glimpses of his ability, but perhaps a start on his favoured left-wing will spark a revival for Cody Gakpo’s season.