How Liverpool can lineup vs. Leicester City

Leicester are next for the much improved Liverpool, who are targeting seven straight wins to keep the pressure on Newcastle and Man United.

The Reds won the second leg 2-1 thanks to two own goals from Foxes defender Wout Faes, but the hosts have won five of their last eight meetings at the King Power Stadium.
Liverpool’s form is good as Leicester struggle for survival at the bottom of the table and could be crucial for both managers.
After taking advantage of the nine-day break between games to take a break from Barcelona, ​​the players are rested and fans can expect a full Liverpool squad on Monday night. This is how Liverpool could act.
Team news

Here’s the manager’s update from Friday morning’s pre-game press conference:

Roberto Firmino is “almost” but he won’t play against Leicester

Naby Keita is a confirmed “no” from the manager, for this

Liverpool XI vs. Leicester

After a run of six games in 28 days ending at home against Brentford, Klopp is giving himself the luxury of a welcome break before the trip to Leicester.
Cody Gakpo was dropped in midfield by the manager in Liverpool’s last appearance at Anfield, but he is likely back top of the group on Monday night. Curtis Jones has made his place in central left midfield his own during the Reds’ winning streak and there’s no reason not to continue against the Foxes.
Darwin Nunez had two straight starts before the mini-break but failed to impress and of the fully fit forwards he looks the most likely to miss this time.
Here’s how the Reds could evolve:

Jordan Henderson joins Jones and Fabinho in midfield

Gakpo plays the role of false nine

Diogo Jota plays on the left flank in place of Luis Diaz

If so, Liverpool would line up as follows:

Alison; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Jones; Salah Gakpo Iota

Despite the break, there are still alternatives for the boss if he decides to start over.
Gakpo’s bid in midfield against Brentford could be repeated, allowing Klopp to field four of his key forwards against the relegation-threatened hosts.
Harvey Elliott, who has only started in Liverpool’s last eight games, will also want to return to his usual spot but would be less likely to start if Gakpo plays in midfield. With that in mind, we might instead see something like this:

Henderson partnered Fabinho in second midfield, with help from Gakpo

Nunez plays in the centre

The back four remain the same

Here’s what this alternate team might look like:

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dik, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Gakpo, Jota; Nunez

It’s a healthy position for Liverpool to have players who feel they deserve a place but cannot make it into the team.
Competition for places is something that has helped Liverpool continue when they were so successful last season, across four competitions.

Also..

Jurgen Klopp explains “absolutely horrible” Luis Diaz re-injury situation in Dubai

It was an “absolutely horrific” situation for Luis Diaz and Liverpool as the winger suffered a recurrence of his knee ligament injury in Dubai.

Diaz was closing in on his comeback when the Reds headed to Dubai for a mid-season training camp in December, only for a strange problem in training to sideline him again.

The No23 had avoided surgery for his initial injury sustained in October but then went under the knife to repair the damage which effectively sidelined him for six months.

Jurgen Klopp, now part of the squad and starting two of the last three games, has found his “very special player”, as he enjoyed in an interview with the club’s official website.

“He came back during a training camp during the World Cup in Dubai, so we all thought: ‘finally back’,” said Klopp. “He trained exceptionally, absolutely exceptionally, and he just slipped on the grass a bit, felt something, carried on, everything is fine.”

“After practice: ‘Yeah, I feel a bit. Let’s see’. Another scan, another three months or whatever.

“Horrible, absolutely terrible. “He’s a natural player. I love him, I absolutely love him. It’s amazing.

“He’s so smart as a footballer, moves in the right areas, defends his position of course, is dangerous in front of goal, quick and cheeky.”

“A very, very special player, I must say. We missed him a lot. »

The situation surrounding Diaz’s new injury shows how players often work with little opportunity when it comes to their fitness.

A little slip can do a lot of damage, especially for those on their way home, which goes some way to explaining why players sometimes seem to be out longer than perhaps they should.

With Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo both signed since Diaz’s explosive arrival last January, there were questions as to where the Colombian would fit in.

But he immediately reclaimed a key position on his return and Klopp is likely to build on his direct approach to big-time play in the future.

“There are some explanations for our situation,” added the manager, also listing the injuries suffered by Diogo Jota and the difficult adaptation of Roberto Firmino and Nunez. “But you have to take life as it is and make the best of it, and that’s what you do in football.”