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The latest Liverpool team news, injury update and predicted XI ahead of their Merseyside derby clash with Everton
Liverpool dropped points for the first time in eight games on Sunday following a tense 3-3 stalemate against Newcastle United. While the Reds remain unbeaten since September 14th, their winning streak ended after their visit to St. James’ Park.
It was a challenging outing for the Premier League leaders, who looked set to take another three points back to Anfield following a late goal from Mohamed Salah to put the Reds in front for the first time. However, a 90th minute Fabian Schär equaliser dashed Liverpool’s hopes of a hard-fought comeback and they were forced to settle for a draw.
Despite the result, Liverpool remain seven points clear at the top of the league table, with Everton looming as their next opponents. The match will mark a significant first and last occasion. Arne Slot will experience his first Merseyside Derby but the Saturday meeting will mark the final time the two rivals will meet at Goodison Park.
Ahead of the highly-anticipated derby, we’ve taken a look at Liverpool’s latest fitness updates and predicted how Slot might line his side for his first meeting with the Toffees.
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Goalkeeper and defenders
Slot and co have made it clear that they will not be rushing Alisson back into the starting lineup until he is 100 percent match fit. No return date has been specified, so we can assume that Caoimhin Kelleher will resume his role in between the sticks for the derby.
As for defenders, Liverpool suffered a double blow as both Ibrahima Konaté and Conor Bradley were ruled out following the Real Madrid match. Joe Gomez made just his fifth Premier League appearance on Wednesday, starting alongside Virgil van Dijk. We can expect to see Gomez get the nod again this weekend, while it’s likely Trent Alexander-Arnold will resume his place at right-back after coming on as a substitute during the Newcastle clash.
Midfielders
One certain absence in midfield will be Alexis Mac Allister, who will serve a one-match suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the season against the Magpies. There are no fitness concerns in this area so Slot has some options to replace the Argentine. Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch have both become regular starters under Slot this season, so we can expect the pair to feature in Saturday’s lineup, with £62 million-rated Dominik Szoboszlai likely taking the final spot.
Forwards
Diogo Jota remains a big miss for Liverpool but fortunately, their frontline is well-stacked. With an astonishing 21 goal contributions in 14 league appearances, there is no possibility of Salah being dropped to face Everton, or any other team. It seems Slot is still deciding on his strongest front three but after Darwin Núñez missed two big goal-scoring chances against Newcastle, it’s likely Cody Gakpo and £66 million-rated Luis Díaz will be given the go-ahead at Goodison Park.
Caoimhin Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Vrgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah, Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo.
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