Jurgen Klopp could be without five first-team players when Liverpool host Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield in the final game of the league campaign on Sunday.
Liverpool will be aiming to end their campaign on a high, confirming their place in the top four when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield on Sunday. With a win imperative for the Reds, Jurgen Klopp should name his strongest possible starting lineup.
The Liverpool boss does have a few concerns ahead of the game, with five players on the treatment table. The latest player to pick up a problem is Sadio Mane, who missed training this week and is a major doubt for the hosts.
There are some pressing issues at the back as well, with Joel Matip and Joe Gomez done for the season due to thigh and ankle injuries, respectively. In Matip’s absence, Dejan Lovren and Virgil van Dijk should continue at the heart of the Liverpool defence, with Loris Karius starting in goal.
Andrew Robertson should be the left-back once again, while Nathaniel Clyne could be handed another opportunity to build up match fitness and sharpness. Meanwhile, midfield isn’t without its problems either, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s (knee) season brought to a premature end and Emre Can (back) yet to return to training.
Klopp’s choices are, thus, down to his bare bones as he struggles to rest his key men for the Champions League final against Real Madrid. On Sunday, he could give some rest to Georginio Wijnaldum, who has featured in just about every game of late.
As a result, James Milner and Jordan Henderson should have Trent Alexander-Arnold for company in the midfield trio, with the youngster set to get another opportunity to showcase his credentials as a midfielder.
There’s some good news though, with Adam Lallana now fit and available after recovering from his latest injury problem. Klopp iterated in his pre-match press conference that the English international could get some minutes after ‘training normally’ for the last week or so.
“Adam trains normally since around about a week or so. Yesterday [he trained] normally. It’s a long time with no football but Adam is Adam, so it looks quite OK, to be honest. The perfect thing now would be to start with minutes; we’ll see if we have the opportunity to do that. But [he is] as fit as possible, I would say.”
But, there are doubts over the availability of Sadio Mane, with Klopp confirming that he will make a late decision on the Senegalese international’s participation. The Liverpool boss is unlikely to risk Mane unless fully fit with just the Champions League final left after the Brighton game.
In Mane’s stead, Ben Woodburn might finally get the chance to start a league game for Liverpool. Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino should complete the front trio, with the former aiming to break the record for most league goals in a 38-game campaign.
