Liverpool will welcome Chelsea at Anfield on Thursday night as they look to put an end to their poor run of form at home recently. The Reds managed to earn an impressive 2-0 win versus Sheffield United last weekend, which will give them a lot of confidence heading into this league clash at Merseyside.
Jurgen Klopp will opt for a 4-3-3 formation once again and is expected to make a couple of changes to his first-team for this game against Thomas Tuchel’s men. Alisson Becker and Fabinho could both get a start at the expense of Adrian and Nathaniel Phillips. However, Diogo Jota is a minor doubt as he is still recovering from illness.
4-3-3 Liverpool Predicted Lineup To Face Chelsea
Defence
Alisson Becker is expected to return from his compassionate leave after the recent death of his father. He will operate in goal for the Reds following a disappointing performance in the Merseyside derby last month when he shipped in two goals at Anfield.
Fabinho has returned to training and is in line to start alongside Ozan Kabak at the heart of the Liverpool backline. They will have to figure out a way to neutralise the threat of Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud during the 90 minutes.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will retain his spot at right-back while Andrew Robertson looks to impress on the other flank as the left-back. Klopp will give both of them the license to get forward and express themselves so that they can orchestrate some promising chances in the final third.
Midfield
Thiago Alcantara will function alongside Georginio Wijnaldum and Curtis Jones at the centre of the park as they focus on dominating possession and finding some holes in the Chelsea backline with their passing. Jones managed to get his name on the scoresheet versus the Blades last weekend, so he will be eager to build on that performance when he laces up to face off against the Blues in midweek.
Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Xherdan Shaqiri will be available for selection on the bench as they wait for their opportunity to impress as one of the impact substitutes if needed.
Attack
Sadio Mane has endured a dip in form this year, so he has to find a way to bang in some goals. This midweek game versus the Blues could be his ideal chance to return to goal-scoring ways. Mohamed Salah will continue to feature from the right-wing while Roberto Firmino gets the nod to lead the line for Liverpool down the middle.
If Diogo Jota can recover in time from his illness, then he will be named on the bench. The Portuguese attacker could come on to make a difference in the second half if required.
