Liverpool will finish second in Group E with two games to spare if it wins away against Toulouse after winning 5-1 at home. If Union SG fails to win away at LASK, Jürgen Klopp’s team could potentially win the group.
Liverpool has already been rotating heavily for this tournament, but it would have considerably more leeway if it could secure early passage to the knockout stages. That would be a welcome boost for Klopp and his staff after a run of Premier League games containing both Manchester City and Manchester United.
But, in order to take care of business, will Liverpool field a particularly good team here? There’s still the weekend match against Brentford to consider, with Klopp hoping to rebound from the poor draw at Luton.
His hand will be forced in some domains. The midfield, in particular, remains troubled, with Spanish duo Thiago Alcântara and Stefan Bajeti both out.
Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch are also missing, with Liverpool having confirmed its squad for the trip to France. Jones missed the weekend due to a’minor’ injury, although he was not in the most recent training images, nor was his Dutch teammate. This leaves Klopp with few options, which might result in an unusual start for Alexis MacAllister at number eight.
Surprisingly, Virgil van Dijk has also been excluded from the traveling party. The Liverpool skipper trained on Wednesday but, like Jones and Gravenberch, will remain at home. Klopp stated at his press conference that the Reds player was suffering from a little sickness and hence did not fly on the plane.
Andy Robertson, who suffered a shoulder injury while on international duty with Scotland, is still out. He has since had surgery. Conor Bradley, on the other hand, is still out.
It appears that Klopp will have a complete complement of attackers to select from. Ben Doak has yet to play since returning from injury, but he appears to have an excellent chance of doing so tonight. Meanwhile, despite the ongoing circumstances involving his father, Luis Daz felt ready to play in the Premier League at the weekend and will be available again.
There are also many young people traveling with the Reds to France. Luke Chambers, Calum Scanlon, James McConnell, and Jarell Quansah are all back, and Fabian Mrozek is among the goalkeepers.
Another concern is how many of Klopp’s senior options he will use. Liverpool.com brings you the complete list of players available to the manager as the Reds try to finish second in Group E.
Goalkeepers: Alisson Becker, Caoimhín Kelleher, Fabian Mrozek.
Defenders: Ibrahima Konaté, Joël Matip, Joe Gomez, Kostas Tsimikas, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Luke Chambers, Calum Scanlon.
Midfielders: Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endō,Harvey Elliott, James McConnell.
Forwards:Luis Díaz, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Núñez, Diogo Jota, Ben Doak.
