Liverpool are frantically fighting to rediscover their mojo when they host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
The Reds have lost their last four league matches and six of their last seven in all competitions as their early season blip transformed into a full-blown crisis. A victory over Eintracht Frankfurt has been their only respite, with recent defeats to Brentford and Crystal Palace piling the pressure on Arne Slot.
With Liverpool facing Real Madrid and Manchester City after their visit from Villa, victory is of paramount importance. Unfortunately for Slot, several injuries to key first-team players will limit his pool of talent available for a crucial clash.
Here is how Liverpool could line up at Anfield.
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Liverpool’s defence has been their major issue this season. / Carl Recine/Getty Images
GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili—Alisson’s hamstring injury means Liverpool are still reliant on Mamardashvili in between the sticks, with the Georgian having been exposed by an anonymous defence in front of him.
RB: Conor Bradley—An injury to Jeremie Frimpong ensures another start for Bradley in the backline, with the Northern Ireland international having struggled defensively this season. He did, however, provide an assist last weekend.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—The Frenchman had blossomed in matches with Manchester United and Frankfurt, but produced another unconvincing display at Brentford last weekend. He’s been unable to match quick, aggressive forwards this term and will struggle with Ollie Watkins.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—Van Dijk is not operating at the standards he was last season, but he’s certainly not the biggest issue in Liverpool’s defence. The Reds desperately need his leadership for a critical encounter.
LB: Andy Robertson—Milos Kerkez was the only player to keep his place against Palace in the Carabao Cup midweek, playing the entirety of the fixture. That suggests he’s likely to be replaced by Andy Robertson on Saturday despite scoring at Brentford.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch—Slot has confirmed that Gravenberch is available once more having missed the last three matches through injury. The Dutchman’s return is timely given Liverpool’s defensive woes.
DM: Dominik Szoboszlai—Szoboszlai has been one of few Liverpool players to do himself justice in recent matches. The indefatigable Hungarian should start ahead of Alexis Mac Allister, who was used against Palace on Wednesday.
RW: Mohamed Salah—Salah scored a beautiful goal at Brentford, but it was another disappointing performance from last season’s Premier League Player of the Season. Slot needs more from the Egyptian than consolation strikes.
AM: Florian Wirtz—Liverpool supporters are still awaiting Wirtz’s best and the Anfield crowd will hope to catch their first glance of his Bayer Leverkusen form on Saturday. The German needs to buck up his ideas—and soon.
LW: Cody Gakpo—Gakpo has been another shining light in recent weeks, although he was underwhelming against Brentford. He’s scored six in the last six games for club and country.
ST: Hugo Ekitiké—Slot is “99.9%” certain that Alexander Isak will miss out against Villa, with Ekitiké leading the line. The Frenchman has been another bright spark during a gloomy period for the Reds and has scored three in eight Premier League games to date.
Gravenberch’s return is crucial for the Reds. / FotMob
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