Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa will make rare starts for Liverpool when they welcome Southampton to Anfield on Saturday.
Liverpool will look to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table and inch closer to the title when they host Southampton at Anfield on Saturday afternoon. And Arne Slot does not have any new issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Joe Gomez (hamstring), Conor Bradley (knock), and Tyler Morton (shoulder) remain on the sidelines, and it remains to be seen whether Cody Gakpo can return for this game. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Slot confirmed that the Dutch international missed training on Friday
The Dutch tactician revealed that Gakpo would be assessed closer to kick-off against Southampton. In addition, Slot has hinted that there could be a number of changes to the side for this game after a tiring outing against PSG during the midweek.
“He [Gakpo] didn’t train yesterday yet, so let’s see if he can train with us today,” said the Liverpool head coach before adding, “Again, [a] close call it will probably be. It’s not a long-term injury but he still had a bit of pain yesterday so he was not able to train. Let’s see where he is today, so I can’t give you the answer yet.”
Liverpool are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Southampton at Anfield on Saturday, with Alisson Becker in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kostas Tsimikas will start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. So, Andrew Robertson will drop to the bench. Ibrahima Konate will start alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones will add defensive cover and control to the side, with Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch getting some rest. Meanwhile, Harvey Elliott will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates in the final third.
With Elliott starting, Dominik Szoboszlai will get some rest, and that will also be the case for Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota. Mohamed Salah and Federico Chiesa will add creativity and goals from the wide areas, with Darwin Nunez leading the line for Liverpool.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Endo, Jones; Salah, Elliott, Chiesa; Nunez