LIVERPOOL VS FULHAM: PREDICTED LINEUP

Liverpool take on Fulham tonight, with the Reds keen to carry on their recent run of good form. Marco Silva’s men have enjoyed a successful campaign back in the big time following their promotion last season, currently sitting 10th. Here’s how Jürgen Klopp could line his side up for the encounter.

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The manager in his press conference confirmed Diogo Jota was struggling with a knock and has missed training since the victory over Spurs. Thiago has also been ruled out for the rest of the season, whilst Keita and Firmino remain unavailable despite resuming light training.

Jürgen has largely opted for the same side over the past couple of weeks, to a large degree of success. This run of games has seen the Reds go unbeaten in six, winning each of the last four. The consistency of a settled XI has no doubt aided the uptick in form, as has the system change.

With this being the third game in the span of a week, we could see one or more tweaks. Alisson Becker will continue in goal and will be shielded by a back three consisting of Konaté, Van Dijk and Robertson. Konaté was rested against West Ham so should be good to go again without the risk of injury.

Van Dijk and Robertson have proven over the years that they can play every three days so should both be fine to continue. The manager might want to look at a left footed centre back in the summer though, as nobody in the squad is equipped to thrive in the role the Scot is currently being asked to play.

Robbo has largely excelled with extra defensive responsibilities on his shoulders which has meant he has had to pick his moments to bomb forward carefully. Tsimikas doesn’t quite suit the centre back role, and Joe Gomez doesn’t possess a left foot to allow him open his body up to passing lanes on the left side.

In midfield, Fabinho will certainly continue, with Alexander-Arnold by his side in the double pivot once the side is in possession. Ahead of them, Curtis Jones is in line for a seventh consecutive start. The 22 year old is in a rich vein of form currently and deserves to keep his place.

The last remaining slot in midfield remains up for grabs. Neither Harvey Elliott nor Jordan Henderson did enough against Tottenham to merit a start tonight. With Carvalho and Arthur completely out of favour and Milner more useful off the bench, the manager has limited options.

He is likely to bring the skipper back into the side having left him out against Spurs. We should be evolving to a stage where Henderson (who is 33 in the summer) and Thiago (32 and injury prone as ever) are no longer regarded as first choice in midfield. That’s the scale of rebuild required this summer.

As it stands, Curtis Jones is the only one staking a claim to be a crucial cornerstone in the new midfield rebuild. The Scouser capped off this fine run of form with the opening goal against Tottenham, and could be set for even more game time if he can maintain the standards he’s set.

Upfront, Mohamed Salah is a shoo-in on the right wing. With Jota struggling with a knock, it’s unlikely he’s fit enough to start. That leaves Gakpo, Diaz and Darwin. Diaz played over an hour on Sunday as he made his first start in almost seven months.

It is perhaps unrealistic to expect him to start again just three days later. He must be managed carefully. That means Darwin could be in line for his first start since the goalless stalemate at Chelsea a month ago. The Uruguayan has had to make do with a place on the bench in recent weeks.

The manager has stressed the importance of pressing and counter pressing and it is up to the 23 year old to prove he’s ready to put in the work to earn his place back in the team. Gakpo should complete the forward line in his false nine role, no doubt interchanging with Darwin as and when necessary.

Predicted team:

Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Jones, Salah, Gakpo, Darwin.

Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Matip, Tsimikas, Milner, Elliott, Carvalho, Jota, Diaz.

Predicted Fulham XI (4-2-3-1): Leno, Tete, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson, Palhinha, Reed, Wilson, Reid, James, Vinicius.