On 9 December 2020, Liverpool drew 1–1 with Midtjylland of Denmark in a Champions League match. This should have been of no consequence to the Reds, who were confident of topping the group.
But a promising season so far, which included part of a glorious year that ended a 30-year wait for a league title tonight, saw little recovery from Jurgen Klopp’s side.
For reasons best known to the manager, Diogo Jota was selected to start for Denmark but suffered a knee injury which ruled him out for three months. In his absence, LFC have fallen from the top of the Premier League to seventh place, losing six games and dropping to 22 points.
Three years on, Klopp has the perfect opportunity to prove he has learned from that fateful mistake as Liverpool once again enter the final match of the European group stage and are confirmed winners of the four-team group.
This is the scenario any Liverpool fan could hope for ahead of a crucial domestic game against rivals Manchester United.
The manager said not to expect Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk or Alisson as LFC will have a strong rotation for tomorrow’s match against Union Saint-Gilloise, a number of changes from their previous five Europa League games.
Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold or Dominik Szoboszlai are being discussed.With that in mind, we want him to play in Belgium.
GOALKEEPER
Marcelo Pitaluga/Fabian Mrozek
Now that Alisson is back from injury, Caoimhin Kelleher could start against Union SG. But the Irishman doesn’t need to risk games and his team-mate’s recent absence has given the 25-year-old plenty of playing time.
Klopp may decide to go with one of Liverpool’s under-21 goalkeepers, Pitaluga or Mrozek. Both have made the senior national team twice this season and have each played 540 minutes for the youth team so far this season (Transfermarkt).
Defense
Connor Bradley, Joe Gomez, Jarrell Kwanza, Luke Chambers
The full-back position gives Klopp plenty of options to give opportunities to young players. Bradley and Chambers have been in fine form during the Europa League campaign and were ready to replace Trent and Kostas Tsimikas respectively.
Calum Scanlon is also a viable option on the left.Unfortunately, with much less depth at centre-back, the manager may be forced to pick two first-teamers – Gomez and Quansah. The 26-year-old could become Liverpool’s most experienced player tomorrow and receive the captain’s armband in this match.
Alongside Gomez at the back, Klopp wants Elliott to be a name in the starting line-up in midfield and able to guide the players around him to give him a strong start in Belgium.
The 20-year-old will be in his best form since last weekend’s extra-time win against Crystal Palace and, having started just one Premier League game all season, could once again be forced to settle with a seat on Red’s bench. . crash
Elsewhere, McConnell looks set to start after impressing for the first team in pre-season, which could be a good opportunity for Frauendorf to play his third senior game for the Reds and first in 13 months ( Transfermarkt ).
Alexis McAllister’s injury means Wataru Endo shouldn’t be a threat, especially with Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Baicetic still facing extended layoffs.
Attack
Ben Doak, Louis Koomas, kaide Gordon. Klopp only has four forwards at Liverpool – Salah, Darwin Nunes, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo – all of whom have been available in recent days due to Jota’s absence, so none of that quartet should be close to the starting XI tomorrow.
At most, some may be needed to replace substitutes. Doak has made several appearances for the senior side this season and will undoubtedly be used as a starter.
It may also be the right time for Gordon to make his long-awaited return to the first team after an injury scare, although it may be a bit of a stretch at left-back.A central attack could pave the way for Koumas to make his Liverpool debut, with the 18-year-old scoring four goals in nine appearances at youth level so far this season (Transfermarkt).
It doesn’t seem to make sense for Klopp to risk Nunes and Gakpo when he could bring in a young player to impress the first team management.
