Liverpool have been perfect in the Champions League so far, and a point at home to Lille on Tuesday will see them through to the last 16.
The Reds have blinked on a couple of occasions in the last month, but a Double from Darwin Núñez in Brentford on Saturday he assured that there was no dissipation of momentum. Liverpool are six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand, and their strong position in the league table means Arne Slot should be rested and rotated ahead of the visit of Ipswich this weekend.
Lille are 21 games unbeaten and looking for a top-eight finish, but that shouldn’t deter Slot from giving fringe squad members opportunities on Tuesday night.
Here’s how Liverpool could line up against Lille.
GK: Alisson – Slot may finally ring the bell for the changes on Tuesday, but the Dutchman could retain his number one goalkeeper after keeping a clean sheet at the weekend.
RB: Conor Bradley – We all know what Bradley did the last time he started a Champions League game at Anfield. well, Kylian Mbappé could remember
CB: Jarell Quansah – Joe Gomez is out until February and Ibrahima Konate remains fragile, so young centre-back Quansah could get the nod against Lille.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – Van Dijk has racked up more minutes in Liverpool’s squad this season, with Slot understandably reluctant to take his stalwart defender out of the squad. If the manager makes wholesale changes, he will retain Van Dijk to reassemble his troops.
LB: Andy Robertson – The Scot didn’t have the best of seasons, finding himself on the bench at times, but Kostas Tsimikas may have a big role to play in the second half of the season. This could earn him a souvenir.
CM: Let’s look at Endo… Endo proved useful in year one, but is not Slot’s ideal midfield option. However, it’s time for Ryan Gravenberch to take a breather.
CM: Curtis Jones – Jones has primarily operated in a more advanced role in the Slot, but the Englishman can shine in a deeper role and should provide respite for Alexis Mac Allister in midweek.
RM: Mohamed Salah – Like Van Dijk, Slot has used Salah non-stop and the Egyptian will be loath to leave the team given his recent drought.
AM: Harvey Elliott – The English game maker there has been recent talk of a move away from Anfieldand should have a chance to impress on Tuesday night after appearing sporadically since recovering from a broken foot.
LM: Federico Chiesa – Chiesa is starting to play a bigger role for the Reds after scoring his first goal for the club in the FA Cup. The Italian is fighting to return to Slot’s starting line-up after coming off the bench on Saturday.
ST: Darwin Núñez – Talk about a timely arm. Liverpool Supporters had begun to grow frustrated with Nunez once again, but were chanting his name into the early hours of Sunday morning after his heroics in west London.
