An underwhelming stalemate against city rivals Everton has put Liverpool a point behind Manchester City in the Premier League title race. The lack of creativity upfront resulted in a third scoreless draw in past four outings, and it is high time the Reds show more intent high up the pitch to grind out results.
Although they grabbed a thumping 5-0 victory against Watford in their last Anfield fixture, the contest versus Burnley should be a sterner one considering the form the Clarets are in of late. Jurgen Klopp, the Reds chief is confident of a turn around despite latest disappointment but must uplift the spirit within the squad to stay relevant in the title chase.
Team News
Liverpool does not have fresh injury concerns and are instead boosted by the return of Dejan Lovren who took part in the team training and might make it among the substitutes recovering from his hamstring strain. Joe Gomez [foot] is still sidelined but expected to be available after the international break. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been lined up for the reserves after being out for almost a year with a significant knee injury and is tipped to play a crucial role in these final months once he regains match fitness.
Formation
Klopp has rotated the set-up between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 throughout the season. However, a 4-3-3 should be preferred on Sunday afternoon to showcase more attacking flair and desire to secure a commendable victory.
Manager: Jurgen Klopp
Goalkeeper
Although the Reds struggled to find the net against tougher opponents, they have kept five clean sheets in a row across all competitions and would look to stretch it for one more fixture. Alisson Becker, the flamboyant Brazilian has been a revelation between the sticks and is leading the race to win the Premier League Golden Gloves reward with 17 clean sheets in his name.
Defence
The arrival of Virgil van Dijk has wiped out the Red’s defensive frailty and transformed Liverpool into a resilient defensive force. The Dutchman has been colossal in the heart of their backline and protected them from severe attacking threats time and again. Joel Matip has been impressive too alongside Van Dijk whereas Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have been sublime with their overlapping runs, crosses and work rate down the flanks.
Midfield
Klopp has quite a few options in the middle of the park to select from, however, should opt for skipper Jordan Henderson to operate at the base of his midfield three. Georginio Wijnaldum must keep on winning the ball back and create space by holding and snatching the opponents towards him. Meanwhile, Naby Keita should get a nod to face the Clarets after showing signs of improvement of late.
Attack
The gaffer preferred Divock Origi in the past couple of fixtures but should revert to a front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian, however, must find his scoring form whereas Mane, though scored a brace versus the Hornets while starting as a ‘number 9’, should be switched to his usual left-wing role to make way for Roberto Firmino to operate as a ‘False 9’.
