Liverpool faces Tottenham today in Jürgen Klopp’s penultimate game at Anfield. The Reds could be without five players against Spurs, including Virgil van Dijk.
With just three games remaining, there is little more than pride for Liverpool to play for now. With Tottenham visiting Anfield this afternoon though, some revenge might be in order as well.
The Reds’ title hopes are all but over now. Just one win in the last five league games has seen Liverpool fall behind Manchester City and Arsenal, with Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta set to battle it out over the last couple of weeks.
With their Champions League place for next season already secured as well, it looks as though a third-place finish is the last thing to wrap up. A win today, or even Aston Villa dropping points at Brighton beforehand, could make that a reality.
But as Jürgen Klopp prepares for his penultimate game at Anfield, he’ll no doubt be eager to go out on a high. Not only that, but he’ll want to claim a win over today’s opponent after the injustice in north London earlier in the season.
Klopp hasn’t forgotten what occurred at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in September. Who knows what effect Luis Díaz’s goal could have had on the season had it been rightfully awarded.
The Reds therefore will be eager to exact some revenge for that 2-1 defeat. They look like they’ll have to do it without their captain though.
Virgil van Dijk is a major doubt for today’s game, having missed training during the week. Klopp suggested on Friday that the defender could have been involved in ‘parts’ of that day’s session, but it seems unlikely he’ll be in action today.
Diogo Jota also remains out, although he will hopefully make a return before the end of the season. Conor Bradley though could make a return to the squad, having been back in training following a short lay-off. Joël Matip, Thiago Alcântara and Ben Doak remain on the sidelines.
All eyes will be on whether Mohamed Salah starts after his heated exchange with Klopp at West Ham last weekend. The Liverpool boss has insisted that the matter has been resolved, so it’s likely we could see the Egyptian return to the starting line-up.
With Jota out, it will probably be a straight battle between Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo to start up front. Luis Díaz should start as usual on the left.
Alexis Mac Allister is an almost certainty in midfield, but the rest of the engine room is a bit of a guess. It certainly hasn’t been performing too well recently, although having been named on the bench at West Ham, Dominik Szoboszlai could be in line for a return.
With Van Dijk likely to be missing, it will be between Ibrahima Konaté, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah to start at the heart of the defense. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker will take their usual spots in the side.
