Arne Slot will hope his Liverpool squad can remain injury-free for the Premier League title run-in
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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot substitutes Diogo Jota of Liverpool during the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot substitutes Diogo Jota of Liverpool during the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium
(Image: 2025 Chris Brunskill/Fantasista)
The Premier League title run-in is about to get underway. After a two-and-a-half week break, Liverpool return to action on Wednesday night as they host Everton at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s men currently sit 12 points clear at the top of the table with nine games left to play. However, Arsenal will look to cut their lead to nine points when they host Fulham on Tuesday night.
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The international break has been reasonably kind to both clubs in terms of injuries. While the Reds saw Alisson Becker, Ryan Gravenberch and Ibrahima Konate all suffer knocks while away with their nations, the trio should all be available against the Blues.
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Meanwhile, both Conor Bradley and Tyler Morton have returned to training, leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez as Liverpool’s only confirmed absentees.
As for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta’s side have been handed a major boost by the return of Bukayo Saka to training. Riccardo Calafiori suffered a knee injury while away with Italy that will see him sit out a few weeks, while Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu are already confirmed to be out for the rest of the campaign.
The Reds only need 16 points from their remaining nine matches to be crowned champions. And with the run-in about to get underway, the ECHO looks at Slot’s dream line-up for the remaining weeks of the season as Liverpool look to clinch the title…
Bradley is back
Jarell Quansah had to start at right-back in the absence of Alexander-Arnold, Bradley and Gomez for the Reds’ League Cup final defeat to Newcastle as Slot was left without a natural full-back option.
Fortunately, Bradley has returned to training during the international break and is closing in on a first-team return. While Everton might come too soon for the Northern Irishman, his comeback has not come a moment too soon.
Speculation about Alexander-Arnold’s future continues, with reports during the international break suggesting he is closing in on a Bosman transfer to Real Madrid.
With the Liverpool vice-captain not due back anytime soon, the stage is Bradley’s to stake his claim to be Alexander-Arnold’s replacement next season before the transfer window opens in the summer.
The rest of the back five picks itself with Alisson in goal and Konate partnering Virgil van Dijk, while Andy Robertson has just about held off the challenge of Kostas Tsimikas a left-back.
Midfield makes amends
Slot’s first-choice midfield remains Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, with Dominik Szoboszlai stationed just in front of them, despite Liverpool’s engine-room struggling considerably at Wembley.
The Reds will hope the trio are back to their best after the break as they prepare for the Premier League title run-in. If not, Curtis Jones is on standby to force his way back into Slot’s starting XI.
Number nine dilemma
Mohamed Salah will also be looking to return to top form after the international break, while Liverpool have been boosted by Cody Gakpo’s return from injury. The Dutchman had been in sensational form prior to suffering an injury away at Everton in February, scoring 14 goals from his last 22 games.
Since then, two issues have limited him to four substitute appearances from the Reds’ last eight matches. However, the forward started twice for Netherlands during the break, scoring against Spain in the Nations League quarter-finals.
Liverpool will hope Gakpo can rediscover his form from earlier in the campaign that had cemented his place in Slot’s starting attack.
If he does, it leaves only the Reds’ centre-forward position as one that is up for debate.
Luis Diaz has impressed in patches there, but looks a lot more comfortable on the left-wing, while both Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez have failed to convince Slot, though the Portuguese had admittedly been hampered by injury.
With Nunez looking increasingly likely to leave Liverpool this summer, the dream outcome for the Reds would arguably be Jota rediscovers his best form to nail down a starting berth for the final weeks of the campaign.
Dream Liverpool line-up for Premier League title run-in: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Jota.