Liverpool return to Anfield this Saturday lunchtime, hoping to immediately get back to winning ways in the Premier League, after collapsing to a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat at the hands of Manchester United last time out.
They will be praying that Chelsea, who travel to Merseyside today, are as lax and as charitable as they were with their defending against Nottingham Forest, as they lost 3-1 to the Tricky Trees last weekend, when making the long journey from the capital to face Arne Slot’s Reds.
Calum McFarlane will be aiming to rain on the Anfield parade, though, as he goes about securing his first Premier League win as interim boss, after stepping into the dug-out to replace the hopeless Liam Rosenior.
Slot will be confident that McFarlane’s side will be leaving another Premier League ground empty-handed; on the other hand, with all the team news you need below.
Liverpool confirmed XI vs Chelsea
Giorgi Mamardashvili is back in between the sticks for Liverpool against Chelsea, having last featured for Slot’s men in the Merseyside Derby. Alisson is still on the recovery trial, but with the Georgian back fit, Freddie Woodman has been pushed to one side.
In defence, in front of the returning stopper, Curtis Jones is chosen as the makeshift right-back, while the two centre-backs on the pitch are comprised of the usual suspects in Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté.
The Dutchman hits another Reds milestone this Saturday lunchtime, as he starts his 40th consecutive game for the Merseyside giants.
At left-back, Milos Kerkez returns to the first-team fold after nursing a slight knock, as Andy Robertson drops out.
In a potential central midfield three, Ryan Gravenberch is joined by Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, with the Hungarian surely hungry for more goals today, after scoring a sensational solo strike at Old Trafford.
Szoboszlai’s attacking expertise could also see him line up as a number ten, with the Hungarian capable of being a versatile presence for his Champions League chasing team.
Moving further forward up the pitch, there is still no Mohamed Salah for the hosts, who would’ve loved one final goal against the Blues, before leaving Liverpool behind, having once been on the books of the West London club.
Instead of Salah taking up a spot on the wings, Jeremie Frimpong is chosen as the right winger for today’s intriguing showdown, with Florian Wirtz also absent through illness.
This will be a blow for Liverpool, as the German playmaker has shone at Anfield in recent matches, with his stunning strike against Crystal Palace last month clinching a 3-1 victory.
Rio Nguhoma is chosen as Slot’s left winger, too, as the 17-year-old starlet aims to dazzle a porous Chelsea defence that shipped three to Forest.
Lastly, despite talk of Alexander Isak being fit again, Slot has opted to go with Cody Gakpo as his lone marksman.
He did score at Old Trafford, alongside Szoboszlai, so the Dutch attacker will be champing at the bit to follow up his goal at the Theatre of Dreams with another against Chelsea.
On the bench, Slot does have Isak he can fall back on if he wants to gift his team more firepower in the latter stages of the match, with the youthful contingent of Kieran Morrison, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Will Wright named among his substitutes again, after Morrison’s Premier League 2 Player of the Season nomination.
Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Jones, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Frimpong, Gakpo, Ngumoha.
Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Isak, Chiesa, Robertson, Nyoni, Morrison, Ndiaye, Wright.
Chelsea: Jorgensen, Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella, Hato, Caicedo, Andrey Santos, Fernandez, Palmer, Joao Pedro
Subs: Slonina, James, Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Lavia, Eboue, Kavuma-McQueen, Delap
