After disappointing defeats in the league and the FA Cup, Liverpool will hope to return to winning ways when they face Bournemouth at Anfield in an exciting league fixture on Saturday.
Despite a mauling loss at Watford last week, Jurgen Klopp’s men still are 22 points ahead of nearest challengers Manchester City.
So, it is understood that they are going to get the required four wins to wrap up the Premier League title.
However, with a crunch second leg of the last-16 tie in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid coming up next Wednesday, winning this weekend is vital to gain momentum.
It won’t be easy though, as Bournemouth are coming into this game off the back of an encouraging display against Chelsea last week. Eddie Howe’s men will try their best to challenge a slightly out-of-form Liverpool team.
In terms of team news for the Reds, captain Jordan Henderson has stepped up his recovery process from his hamstring injury, but is not available for Saturday.
Naby Keita has returned to full team training and could be in the squad.
That all being said, here’s how we think Klopp may line his XI up:
GK - Alisson
After conceding three against Watford, Alisson sat out the FA Cup loss at Stamford Bridge.
The Brazilian is set to be back in goal for this league game.
RB - Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold was another player who was given a rest in the FA Cup tie. His display against Watford was sketchy at best.
Liverpool fans will be hoping for the best version of their local lad to turn up for this game and the rest of the season.
CB - Joe Gomez
Despite an iffy performance against Chelsea, Gomez remains Liverpool’s first-choice partner to van Dijk in central defence.
CB - Virgil van Dijk
Oddly enough, van Dijk’s form hasn’t been great in the last two games. And the team conceding five goals in two games is a slight indication of that.
The Dutchman will be aiming to get back to his best soon, starting against the Cherries.
LB - Andy Robertson
Robertson is another player whose form has been indifferent in the past few games.
The Scotland captain is Liverpool’s main left-back and will more than likely be backed for the remainder of the season.
CDM - Georginio Wijnaldum
Since returning from injury, Fabinho has played a lot of games but hasn’t been able to recover his best form.
For that reason, Klopp may rest him for this game, handing Wijnaldum a start in defensive midfield. The latter got a full rest from the FA Cup tie on Tuesday.
RCM - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Oxlade-Chamberlain was an unused sub against Chelsea and should be fresh enough to start in midfield on Saturday.
His form is also not the best, and he will probably be the first man to admit that.
LCM - James Milner
After returning from injury, Milner played a few minutes against Chelsea.
With Henderson out, Liverpool need a vocal presence on the pitch.
RW - Mohamed Salah
Salah’s form has come and gone in the last month or so. On his day, he is still a player who can destroy teams on his own, especially at Anfield.
Liverpool fans will be playing that the Egyptian starts putting in regular performances through the business end of the season.
His record against Bournemouth is quite good as well, which helps!
ST - Roberto Firmino
Firmino’s indifferent form has been a cause for concern. When he doesn’t play well, the performance of the front line gets affected directly.
The Brazilian will be itching to get into full steam soon, and for once, score a league goal at Anfield.
LW - Sadio Mane
Since his return from injury, Mane has lacked sharpness in his game, especially with his finishing. It was well advertised against Chelsea when he missed two of the best chances Liverpool had.
The Senegal international is still a threat on the ball, Bournemouth defenders will know that. However, he must be looking to sharpen up his shooting boots.