Liverpool had been threatening to give somebody a pasting this season and it was Maribor who ended up being that side on Tuesday night.
The Reds put seven past the Slovenian side and will be hoping to carry that form into this weekend’s game against Tottenham at Wembley.
Spurs travelled to Madrid in midweek and earned a very good point against Real, but it was a much more taxing game than Liverpool faced, which could give Jurgen Klopp’s men a slight advantage in terms of fitness.
Liverpool’s record against Spurs in recent years is very good, and they haven’t lost against this weekend’s opponents for 10 games in all competitions and they’ll be hoping to make it 11 this Sunday.
So, who will Klopp select to start this huge game? Here’s the XI I think he’ll pick:
SIMON MIGNOLET
Mignolet made a decent stop to keep out Romelu Lukaku last week, he might need to make a few more to deny Harry Kane on Sunday.
JOE GOMEZ
The choice between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Gomez is a toss-up but I think the manager will go with Gomez as he’s a bit better defensively and he had a really strong game against United.
JOEL MATIP
He hasn’t had a lot to do in his last few games but Spurs should test Matip a bit more than United or Maribor did.
DEJAN LOVREN
Lovren has proven in recent weeks that he can be pretty decent, although he’s hardly been put under huge pressure. Spurs will have spells where they’re on top and Lovren will need to be switched on.
ALBERTO MORENO
Moreno has established himself as the club’s first-choice left-back once again. There have been calls to start Andy Robertson in recent weeks but Moreno deserves to keep his place.
JORDAN HENDERSON
The captain got a rest in midweek and despite James Milner playing very well, I’m certain Henderson will come back into the side.
EMRE CAN
Can has been very good for Liverpool in big games recently and his physicality will be much-needed at Wembley.
GINI WIJNALDUM
Wijnaldum has come in for some criticism recently and calls to start Milner ahead of him are fair but I think Klopp will stick with the Dutchman.
MOHAMED SALAH
Salah should be looking to exploit the space on offer on a big Wembley pitch. If Spurs play a high line, he could destroy them on the counter-attack.
PHILIPPE COUTINHO
Despite playing a full game in midweek, Coutinho is certain to play this weekend. He too could enjoy playing on the bigger pitch.
ROBERTO FIRMINO
Firmino hopefully took some confidence from finding the back of the net against Maribor. Spurs have an excellent defence but he’s got the ability to beat them if he’s on his game.
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