Liverpool will lock horns with Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon hoping to grind out a positive result in the Merseyside derby. The Reds suffered a disheartening 7-2 loss at the hands of Aston Villa at Villa Park before the international break. Therefore, the reigning Premier League champions will be desperate to bounce back versus the Toffees by picking up maximum points this weekend.
Jurgen Klopp will stick with his preferred 4-3-3 formation and would welcome the return of Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara after both players recovered from the COVID-19 virus and returned to training earlier this week.
4-3-3 Liverpool Predicted Lineup To Face Everton
Defence
Alisson Becker is still sidelined because of a shoulder injury which means that Adrian will start in goal for the Reds despite shipping in seven goals against the Villans in his last league start. Klopp could be inclined to name Fabinho as a makeshift centre-back after the Brazilian proved his worth in that position in the 2-0 win over Chelsea last month. Virgil Van Dijk will lineup alongside him at the heart of the Liverpool defence as they look to restrict Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and James Rodriguez from scoring this weekend.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s form has been poor so far this season, so he will be desperate to put on a good showing as the right-back. Andrew Robertson will feature on the other side at the left-back position. Klopp will ask both his full-backs to keep a good defensive shape and get forward at every chance they get so that they can supply enough ammunition to the front players up top.
Midfield
The Reds midfield could be comprised of Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum as they look to win the battle at the centre of the park and establish Liverpool’s dominance during the 90 minutes. A lot will be expected of Thiago on his full Premier League debut if Klopp decides to name him in his starting XI this weekend.
However, Naby Keita will miss out on the derby after being diagnosed with COVID-19 while on international duty with the Guinean national team. We can expect Curtis Jones to make up the numbers on the bench as he awaits his chance to impress as a substitute if needed.
Attack
Klopp will revert to his strongest frontline of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah for this upcoming contest at Goodison Park. Both Mane and Salah have been amongst the goals for Liverpool in recent weeks, so they will have to carry most of the goal-scoring burden up top.
Diogo Jota will be available for selection on the Reds bench and could come on to make an impact in the second half if Klopp calls upon his services.
