Liverpool have started their Premier League campaign with a hard fought draw against Watford, but they will have no time to relax, as they are scheduled to go up against the German Bundesliga club Hoffenheim in their Champions League qualifier match, which will see them get an entry into the biggest competition among European clubs, the UEFA Champions League, in the new season.
Liverpool are presently in dire straits with the future of their talismanic attacker Phillipe Coutinho, who is subject to a move to the Spanish giants Barcelona in the ongoing summer transfer window. He was also unable to feature in the last match against Watford given a back problem and is not expected to be fit to play in their next match against the German outfit Hoffenheim on Tuesday.
Apart from Coutinho, the Reds have got a number of players in their team who can change the course of the game with their individual brilliance on the given day. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane along with striker Roberto Firmino have looked in form in their last match and have all scored a goal each to get their team out of danger of losing their first match in this year’s Premier League campaign.
They will want to have a similar impact in the Champions League qualifier but here are three players who will be crucial for the Reds in this tie:
Sadio Mane-
The Senegalese attacker, who was a long time absentee from the Liverpool squad owing to an injury late last term, has made his comeback into the side and played a very crucial role in the Reds’ lineup in their game against the Hornets.
He also scored a goal to show for his efforts and made sure that his team avoided defeat in their very first match of the campaign. He is expected to continue his good form as they go into their Champions League qualifier match against Hoffenheim later this week.
Mohamed Salah-
The Egyptian forward and a former Chelsea player was in good form with the Italian outfit AS Roma and has been assigned the job to lead the attack alongside Mane and Firmino in this season for Liverpool. It seems that he is living up to the expectations of his side’s German gaffer Jurgen Klopp and is expected to deliver a match winning performance in Liverpool’s next Champions League qualifier clash.
Roberto Firmino-
In the absence of Phillipe Coutinho, fellow Brazilian Firmino will have to bear the responsibility of scoring for his side and keeping them in advantage in their next match. All eyes will be on the forward as he will spearhead the attack for the Reds on Tuesday against Hoffenheim, a club that helped him establish himself at the highest level.
