A 2-0 win at San Siro has put Liverpool in the driver’s seat ahead of hosting Inter Milan at Anfield. A result in this return leg fixture would ensure their place in the Champions League quarterfinals, however, the Reds must not feel complacent and finish the job against the Seria A winners.
Inter dominated the first leg tie but conceded twice late in the game against the run. Having said that, they are leading the Scudetto race for the second successive season and a 5-0 weekend win against Salernitana must have lifted their spirit after a few underwhelming games. The Tuesday night tie would be engaging unless the home side finds the net in early minutes.
Predicted 4-3-3 Liverpool Lineup To Face Inter Milan
Defence
Alisson Becker was kept busy by West Ham United on Saturday evening, but the flamboyant Brazilian succeeded to keep a clean sheet in their edgy 1-0 victory. He would aim for another one this midweek against the likes of Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martínez.
Trent Alexander-Arnold had a tough time against Ivan Perišić in the first-leg contest and should stay alert defensively to avoid an upset. Joel Matip missed the Hammers game through illness but is expected to return to action replacing Ibrahima Konate. Virgil van Dijk must keep his place in the heart of the backline, whereas the energy and enthusiasm of Andrew Robertson down the left would help them script swift attacking transitions from the deep.
Midfield
Thiago Alcantara picked up an injury during the warm-up before locking horns with Chelsea in the League Cup final. Although the Spaniard might return to team training anytime soon, Jurgen Klopp needs to manage his minutes minutely to keep him fit for the remainder of the campaign. Fabinho must operate from the base as a ‘number 6’, also the box-to-box movements and work rate of skipper Jordan Henderson would be crucial to dominating the midfield game. Curtis Jones was impressive against Norwich City in the FA Cup 5th Round tie and therefore, should get the nod over Naby Keita, Harvey Elliott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner.
Attack
Roberto Firmino is still nursing an injury, but the Merseysiders have ample attacking options in their ranks. Luis Diaz has been exquisite down the left and should keep causing menace in the opponents’ defence. Sadio Mane is attuning to a ‘False 9’ role and Mohamed Salah must show his magic from the right after a disappointing evening against the Hammers. Diogo Jota, as well as Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino, might get involved at a later stage as second-half substitutes.
