Liverpool will lock horns with Red Bull Leipzig at the Puskas Arena on Wednesday night, having secured a 2-0 victory in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie last month. The Reds are going through a poor run of form after losing back to back matches against Chelsea and Fulham in the Premier League respectively.
Jurgen Klopp will probably set his team up in a 4-3-3 formation and is expected to make a whole host of changes to his first-team for this game. Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho, Trent-Alexander-Arnold and Sadio Mane are all set to start in midweek as Klopp reverts to his strongest XI for this clash versus Julian Nagelsmann’s men.
4-3-3 Liverpool Predicted Lineup To Face Red Bull Leipzig
Defence
Alisson Becker will feature in between the sticks for the Merseyside giants after conceding one goal in each of his past two outings. Nathaniel Phillips will get the nod to partner Fabinho at the heart of the Liverpool backline as they look to keep things tidy at the back throughout the 90 minutes.
Trent Alexander-Arnold should return for this game to fill in at right-back while Andrew Robertson features on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will have to be a bit more cautious than usual as they cannot afford to leave too much space in behind them for the Leipzig attackers to exploit on the counter.
Rhys Williams and Neco Williams will make up the numbers on the Reds bench as they offer cover for the defensive positions.
Midfield
Curtis Jones will once again play alongside Georginio Wijnaldum and Thiago Alcantara at the centre of the park as they try to dominate the midfield battle and create some clear-cut chances in the final third. All three of them will also have to work hard to offer some much-needed protection for their teammates at the back.
Naby Keita will have to be content with a place on the bench but might come on to make an impact in the second 45 minutes if required.
Attack
Sadio Mane will probably feature on the left flank while Mohamed Salah looks to produce a goal-scoring performance from the right. Diogo Jota is expected to spearhead Jurgen Klopp’s attack down the middle later this week.
Xherdan Shaqiri will be available for selection on the bench but Liverpool will be sweating on the fitness of Roberto Firmino, who missed the game versus the Cottagers because of a knock.
