Key man returns but injury blow confirmed | Expected Liverpool line-up vs Leicester

Liverpool return to Premier League action with a top of the table clash against Leicester City at the King Power on Boxing Day. Here is the team we expect Jurgen Klopp to select for the game:

Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker has been in excellent form once again this season and no doubt he’ll keep his place between the sticks against Leicester.

Defence: Liverpool have few options to rotate in defence as Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren remain on the sidelines through injury so Joe Gomez will continue alongside Virgil van Dijk in the middle of the back four.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson will also retain their places in the full-back positions so I think we’ll see the same back four that started against Flamengo in the Club World Cup final.

Midfield: Klopp confirmed at his press conference that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been ruled out for the foreseeable future with an ankle ligament injury so there will be at least one change in midfield on Thursday.

Gini Wijnaldum returned to the bench last time out after recovering from a knock so he’s fit for a recall on Boxing Day and is likely to replace Oxlade-Chamberlain in the middle of the park.

With Fabinho still nursing an ankle injury, Jordan Henderson should start in the holding role with Naby Keita keeping his place in the midfield. That means James Milner and Adam Lallana will settle for places on the bench.

Attack: Liverpool have the chance to move 13 points clear over second-placed Leicester with a win at the King Power so Klopp is expected to resist any temptation to rotate his side and will play all of his big-guns.

That means we should see his preferred front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino with the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi having to settle for places among the subs.

Here is how I think Liverpool will line up: