Jurgen Klopp and his side return to the Champions League tonight with their first-leg tie against RB Leipzig in the Round of 16, with the Reds hoping to carry on their good form in the European competition.
Liverpool have found themselves without Fabinho for the tie after his muscle issue that he picked up prior to the loss to Leicester City at the weekend – as well as Naby Keita who has returned to training but won’t be fit for the tie and Diogo Jota who is still yet to make his return to full training after his injury in the Champions League against FC Midtjylland in December.
The Reds have struggled for form recently and the loss to the Foxes just a few days ago saw a big mistake between goalkeeper Alisson and debutant Ozan Kabak, however, the Turkish centre-back will likely start and provide some great knowledge on the Bundesliga outfit with him being on loan from fellow German club Schalke 04.
So with all of the club’s absences and players available for the trip, how might Klopp lineup his side against Leipzig tonight?
Formation: 4-3-3
I think Klopp will be hoping to select his strongest possible XI given the importance and magnitude of the game and the challenge ahead in Leipzig.
Alisson will retain his place in goal in my opinion – he may have been short of confidence recently but you could see at times during the Leicester game just how important he can be with him pulling off some world-class saves to keep the score at bay.
I feel our back four will remain the same. Both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson pick themselves these days and despite Kabak’s difficult end to an otherwise solid debut, he will start alongside Jordan Henderson with Fabinho still not fit and the two youngsters in Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams a slight risk for a game of this magnitude. Not only this, but our other new signing in Ben Davies just came back from an injury himself and it may be throwing him in the deep end to start tonight.
Can Liverpool beat RB Leipzig tonight?
Yes
No
If Liverpool are hoping to return to that workmanlike midfield of previous seasons without Henderson starting in it, I think a three of Curtis Jones, Gini Wijnaldum, and James Milner may be a good option for that. Jones has been impressive when featuring this season and Wijnaldum has always been a reliable man in the middle. The experience and role of Milner would be a great replacement for our captain in that right central-midfield role to allow Trent the freedom to attack the way we know he can.
To finish off the XI we will see our famed front three make their mark in the competition once again. I really feel as though Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah will start tonight and have a real impact on the game, with both Firmino and Salah combining beautifully well against Leicester at the weekend and the three can be the best in the world when working in tandem.
What do you think Liverpool fans, how would you lineup vs RB Leipzig? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below…