A number of rotational options are unavailable to Arne Slot as Liverpool prepare for their third Champions League game of the season, with injuries starting to pile up.
Wednesday evening represents a meeting of the early domestic league leaders, as Liverpool meet Bundesliga’s current joint-frontrunners Leipzig on their home soil.
Both teams head into the fixture off the back of a victory, and with injuries to consider throughout their squad. It leaves question marks over how Slot will approach a game that precedes a trip to Arsenal.
Here’s how he could look to set up in Germany.
Liverpool named a 21-man squad for the trip to Germany and there were five notable absentees:
In the previous two Champions League fixtures, Slot limited his changes to his starting lineup to no more than two – but his approach will surely change considering the schedule and his options.
The Dutchman commented on the Sunday-Wednesday turnaround when discussing Alisson‘s ill-timed injury, which will be playing on his mind.
To that end, Jarell Quansah could give Ibrahima Konate a timely rest against his former club, with Kostas Tsimikas to again rotate into the XI in place of Andy Robertson.
Alexis Mac Allister trained on Tuesday after playing just nine minutes against Chelsea, so he ought to be ready to return to the midfield.
And with Chiesa and Jota sidelined, the options up top are not as vast and it is hard to look beyond Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez in attack:
Quansah and Tsimikas come into the defence.
Mac Allister returns and Jones moves into attacking midfield role.
Diaz takes Gakpo’s spot and Nunez gets second European start.
That would make five changes from Sunday’s lineup:Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Jones, Mac Allister; Salah, Diaz, Nunez.
While a handful of obvious rotation options are unavailable, it is still hard to see Slot keeping his changes to a minimum for this one – especially knowing there are still five more Champions League games left in this phase.
Leipzig are yet to register a point in the competition, while Liverpool sit among the top eight having won both their games.
The German outfit will not be underestimated, but either of the abovementioned starting lineups ought to be capable of taking points back to Merseyside.
