Liverpool entertain Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Saturday’s late Premier League kick-off.
The Reds recently reached their third Champions League final in five seasons, but they were made to work hard against Villarreal in the last four of the competition.
Jurgen Klopp’s side won 2-0 during the first leg at Anfield, but their lead was nullified with two first-half goals from the Yellow Submarines at El Madrigal.
Villarreal were eyeing a stunning comeback, but Liverpool found their feet after the interval, scoring three times to eventually seal a 5-2 aggregate victory.
The comeback triumph should provide plenty of confidence for the players ahead of their crunch league encounter against Tottenham, which is a must-win.
Liverpool are just one point behind leaders Manchester City and may have to win their remaining four games to give themselves a chance of leapfrogging them.
Here how Liverpool could line up against Tottenham:
Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker has been ever-present in goal for the Premier League games for Liverpool. He has 20 shutouts for the league campaign, and has the chance to equal Petr Cech’s clean sheet record if he does not concede over the next four matches. The Brazilian is expected to start between the sticks.
Defence: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson are assured starters in the full-back roles and the same will be the case with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence. The only change should see Joel Matip replace Ibrahima Konate as Van Dijk’s partner. Konate has been superb in Europe, but Matip continues to remain the league regular.
Midfield: Naby Keita was rewarded with a starting spot ahead of Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson in midweek following his match winner at Newcastle United. He bagged an assist for Sadio Mane’s goal, but it was largely influenced by a goalkeeping error. Klopp should reinstate Henderson in the centre of the park alongside Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara.
Attack: Luis Diaz replaced Diogo Jota at the interval in midweek, and played a key part in the comeback win, bagging the second goal. The £40.5 million-rated star should start in his preferred left-wing role tomorrow. This should see Sadio Mane take up the centre-forward position with Mohamed Salah starting in his customary right-wing role.
Expected Liverpool line-up (4-3-3) vs Tottenham
