Curtis Jones and Nat Phillips will return but Fabinho will miss out again when Liverpool face West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday
Liverpool will be aiming to build on their crucial win over Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week when they lock horns with West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday evening. And, Jurgen Klopp has been handed a blow on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Liverpool’s central defensive crisis has deepened this week, with Joel Matip sustaining an ankle injury in the game against Tottenham. With Fabinho already on the sidelines, Klopp is left with just three players to choose from for the two centre-back slots, one of them being Jordan Henderson and the other two in youngsters Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams.
Klopp did provide an update on Fabinho and Matip during his pre-match press conference, while also speaking about why he has used Henderson as a centre-back. The Liverpool boss said, “Fabinho, no chance for the weekend. There are still glimpses of hope that it’s [Matip’s injury] not serious.
On Henderson, Klopp said, “First and foremost, that’s experience. So we don’t worry about Nat [Phillips] and Rhys [Williams], for example, but it’s about the situation. With young players it must always be in the 100 per cent right moment. Hendo plays there because he can do it and because he can help us there.”
Henderson will once again be the makeshift centre-back, with the Liverpool captain having Phillips as his partner this time around. Out wide, there is no looking past Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson in the two full-back positions, with Alisson Becker a certainty in goal.
Up ahead in midfield, Thiago Alcantara and Georginio Wijnaldum pick themselves in two of the three slots. As for the third midfield berth, Curtis Jones should come in for James Milner, who will be an option on the bench along with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Xherdan Shaqiri.
Finally, in attack, the first-choice trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are all automatic picks. Firmino will reprise his typical False Nine role, with Salah and Mane being the two wide men for Liverpool, while Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino will be backup options.
Liverpool Predicted XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Henderson, Robertson; Thiago, Wijnaldum, Jones; Salah, Firmino, Mane
