Nathaniel Phillips and Jordan Henderson will start at centre-back for Liverpool against Brighton tonight, according to The Mirror‘s David Maddock.
Liverpool host the Seagulls on Wednesday evening, looking to make it three Premier League wins in a row.
The Reds signed both Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak on deadline day, but neither are expected to start against Brighton. Instead, Maddock claims that Phillips and Henderson will continue as a centre-back pairing, having shone in Sunday’s 3-1 win away to West Ham:
Kabak’s clearance from the Bundesliga didn’t come through in time for the young Turkish international to be available for the game at Brighton, but Davies may find a place on the bench, with Jordan Henderson and Nat Phillips set to continue at centre back.
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Should this prove to be correct, it is a decision which makes perfect sense ahead of a must-win game in the title race.
Granted, Phillips and Henderson are a far-from-ideal partnership at the back, but they have gained an understanding with each other, while Davies and Kabak are still very much bedding in to their new surroundings. It would be more risky throwing one of the newcomers straight into the starting lineup, instead allowing them time to settle.
Klopp has stated that Davies and Kabak must “make the team better” when they come in, so it will be fascinating to see how they fare when they are picked.
Don’t expect it to be this evening, though, or against Manchester City on Sunday, in all likelihood.
