The lineups are in for the all-important 16:30 BST showdown against Manchester City. Jürgen Klopp has made wholesale changes to the lineup as they try to slow down the City goal-scoring machine.
Liverpool have put out a drastically different lineup from the one they put out against Rangers on Wednesday. Andy Robertson returns to the defence as a starter. James Milner also gets a start in the backline.
Roberto Firmino is the only forward from the front 3 that started in the Champions League. Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota get the starting nod to help Firmino lead the attack against City.
It is a bit surprising seeing Trent Alexander-Arnold available on the bench. It wasn’t certain that he’d be available after hurting his ankle last weekend against Arsenal.
Liverpool
Starters
Alisson, Milner, Gomez Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Thiago, Elliott, Jota, Salah, Firmino
Substitutes
Kelleher, Henderson, Jones, Tsimikas, Nunez, Carvalho, Elliot, Bajcetic, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold
Manchester City
Starters
Ederson, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Cancelo, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Bernardo, Haaland, Foden
Substitutes
Ortega Moreno, Grealish, Alvarez, Gomez, Laporte, Mahrez, Palmer, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand
LFC Globe Verdict
It’s a pragmatic lineup that Klopp is putting out there to try and slow City down. He once again is relying on the players he knows the best. Giving Milner a start on the backline in such an important match is intriguing. We see the veteran can play the position but, will he help stop the City attack?
It is also interesting that Darwin Núñez starts on the bench. You have to think that Klopp believes that the Uruguayan isn’t ready for such a big moment. It is unfortunate because we might have to wait for the 2nd half to see Núñez and Erling Haaland on the pitch simultaneously.
