Liverpool have been perfect in the Champions League so far and a point at home to Lille on Tuesday will see them into the round of 16.
The Reds have faltered on a few occasions in the last month, but a brace from Darwin Nunez at Brentford on Saturday ensured the momentum didn’t falter. Liverpool are six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game remaining and their strong position in the league stage table means Arne Slot should rest and rotate ahead of this weekend’s visit of Ipswich.
Lille are unbeaten in 21 games and in search of a top eight spot, but that shouldn’t stop Slot from offering opportunities to the fringe squad members on Tuesday night.
This is how Liverpool could play against Lille.
TW: Alisson – Slot could finally announce the changes on Tuesday, but the Dutchman could keep his number one goalkeeper after keeping a clean sheet at the weekend.
RB: Conor Bradley – We all know what Bradley did the last time he started a Champions League game at Anfield. Well, Kylian Mbappe might remember.
CB: Jarell Quansah – Joe Gomez is out until February and Ibrahima Konate remains vulnerable, so young centre-back Quansah could be called up against Lille.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – Van Dijk has racked up the most minutes in Liverpool’s squad this season, with Slot understandably reluctant to move his trusty defender out of the team. If the manager makes sweeping changes, he will task Van Dijk with marshalling his troops once again.
LB: Andy Robertson – The Scot hasn’t had the best season and has been benched at times, but Kostas Tsimikas could play an important role in the second half of the season. That could get him a recall.
CM: Wataru Endo – Endo proved serviceable in year one, but isn’t the ideal midfield option for Slot. However, it’s time for Ryan Gravenberch to take a breather.
CM: Curtis Jones – Jones has mainly operated in a more advanced role under slot, but the Englishman can excel in a deeper role and should provide Alexis Mac Allister with some breathing space in midweek.
RM: Mohamed Salah – Like Van Dijk, Slot Salah has worked tirelessly and the Egyptian will not be happy to leave the team given his recent losing streak.
AM: Harvey Elliott – The England playmaker has recently dismissed rumors of a move away from Anfield and should get the chance to impress on Tuesday night having only featured sporadically since recovering from a broken foot.
LM: Federico Chiesa – Chiesa is starting to play a bigger role for the Reds after scoring his first goal for the club in the FA Cup. The Italian has a chance of returning to Slot’s team after coming on as a substitute on Saturday.
ST: Darwin Nunez – Talk about getting braces in a timely manner. Liverpool fans were once again frustrated with Nunez, but after his heroics in west London they were buzzing about his name until the early hours of Sunday morning.