A number of rotational options are unavailable to Arne Slot as Liverpool prepare for their third Champions League game of the season, with injuries starting to pile up.
Wednesday evening represents a meeting of the early domestic league leaders, as Liverpool meet Bundesliga’s current joint-frontrunners Leipzig on their home soil.
Both teams head into the fixture off the back of a victory, and with injuries to consider throughout their squad. It leaves question marks over how Slot will approach a game that precedes a trip to Arsenal.
Here’s how he could look to set up in Germany.
Team News
Ahead of the official squad list being confirmed, Liverpool’s training session at the AXA on Tuesday offered us a look at who is up for selection:
Liverpool’s XI vs. Leipzig
In the previous two Champions League fixtures, Slot limited his changes to his starting lineup to no more than two – but his approach will surely change considering the schedule and his options.
The Dutchman commented on the Sunday-Wednesday turnaround when discussing Alisson‘s ill-timed injury, which will be playing on his mind.
To that end, Jarell Quansah could give Ibrahima Konate a timely rest against his former club, with Kostas Tsimikas to again rotate into the XI in place of Andy Robertson.
Alexis Mac Allister trained on Tuesday after playing just nine minutes against Chelsea, so he ought to be ready to return to the midfield.
And with Chiesa and Jota sidelined, the options up top are not as vast and it is hard to look beyond Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez in attack:
- Quansah and Tsimikas come into the defence
- Mac Allister returns and Jones moves into attacking midfield role
- Diaz takes Gakpo’s spot and Nunez gets second European start
That would make five changes from Sunday’s lineup:
Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Jones, Mac Allister; Salah, Diaz, Nunez
With this the second game of seven in the space of 21 days, and Arsenal next up on the weekend, we could even see six changes to the XI.
It is one that would still be more than capable of getting a result, and it could see Joe Gomez start only his second game of the season at right-back, with Konate there to support.
Wataru Endo is well and truly on the fringe with just 85 minutes to date, but Gravenberch needs a rest at some point having played the most minutes of any Red at club and international level (1,250).
There is plenty of experience and an injection of fresh legs, and five substitutions throughout the game affords Slot further flexibility should he need to make changes throughout:
- Gomez and Tsimikas both come in at full-back
- Endo makes his second start of the season
- Salah, Diaz and Nunez lead the line
Those tweaks look like this:
Kelleher; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Endo, Jones, Mac Allister; Salah, Diaz, Nunez
While a handful of obvious rotation options are unavailable, it is still hard to see Slot keeping his changes to a minimum for this one – especially knowing there are still five more Champions League games left in this phase.
Leipzig are yet to register a point in the competition, while Liverpool sit among the top eight having won both their games.
The German outfit will not be underestimated, but either of the abovementioned starting lineups ought to be capable of taking points back to Merseyside.
