Jürgen Klopp has made 6 changes ahead of Liverpool’s big matchup with Chelsea. Household names like Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo start on the bench while Kostas Tsimikas and Joe Gomez see the Starting XI for the first time in a while.
Chelsea interim boss Bruno Saltor has a few surprises in his inaugural lineup as the Blues manager, leaving English International Raheem Sterling and American Captain Christian Pulisic on the bench
Liverpool Line Up
Starters
Alisson, Gomez, Matip, Konaté, Tsimikas, Fabinho, Henderson, Jones, Jota, Núñez, Firmino
Substitutes
Kelleher, Milner, Salah, Gakpo, Robertson, Carvalho, Arthur, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold
Chelsea Line-up
Starters
Kepa, Fofana, Koulibaly, Cucurella, James, Enzo, Kante, Kovacic, Chilwell, Joao Felix, Havertz
Substitutes
Mendy, Badiashile, Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek, Mount, Madueke, Mudryk, Pulisic, Sterling
LFC Globe Verdict
Klopp usually doesn’t shuffle his lineup this much, but he may have done so today for several reasons. Many players put in a full shift vs Manchester City and need a break and the boss may want to see if a bench player can provide a spark if given a chance to crack the Starting XI.
What is a surprise is that for the first time possibly all season, Harvey Elliott is not listed on the team sheet. Today is Elliott’s 20th birthday, so I wonder if he suffered a late injury. Virgil van Dijk is also absent from the lineup, but I expect Klopp to address those decisions at his press conference.
