Liverpool returned after the World Cup with an entertaining but ultimately disappointing Carabao Cup defeat against Manchester City on Thursday.
Fabio Carvalho and Mohamed Salah both found the target as the Reds saw their reign as holders ended with a 3-2 reverse at the Etihad. Liverpool will now resume their Premier League campaign after more than six weeks when they travel to Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
And here we look ahead to the changes Jurgen Klopp could make when his team are next in action.
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Van Dijk poser
Caoimhin Kelleher was once again impressive against City but it would be a surprise if Alisson Becker doesn't return to the starting line-up between the sticks following his break after the World Cup.
Klopp has indicated the same is likely to apply to centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who sat out the Carabao Cup defeat having only just resumed training on Wednesday.
Who lines up alongside Van Dijk offers great intrigue, with Ibrahima Konate not expected to be considered having reached the World Cup final with France last Sunday. Joel Matip was solid against City, although Joe Gomez struggled before switching to right-back. Nat Phillips, who emerged before the break for the injured James Milner, is another possibility.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will return at right-back should he fight off the virus affecting a number of Liverpool players, while Andy Robertson remains ahead of Kostas Tsimikas in the other full-back role. Calvin Ramsay offers another choice at right-back.
Henderson primed
With Milner nursing a suspected hamstring problem and Curtis Jones only slated to resume full team training this week - not to mention the ongoing absence of on-loan Arthur Melo - Liverpool are again without a number of midfield options.
But Klopp nevertheless has scope to rotate his resources in the engine room, aided by Naby Keita making his long-awaited return from the bench on Thursday with his first outing since July.
Jordan Henderson and Fabinho will hope for greater involvement at Villa Park having also featured as substitutes against City following their World Cup involvement, with Thiago Alcantara having impressed during a 70-minute stint. Harvey Elliott and fellow teenager Stefan Bajcetic, who both also started at the Etihad, are other possibilities, although the latter may have to wait until the FA Cup in a fortnight.
Oxlade-Chamberlain chance
The ongoing absence of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, and the calf problem suffered by Roberto Firmino, has left Liverpool with little wriggle room in attack.
Mohamed Salah appears nailed on to continue on the right flank for the foreseeable, with Darwin Nunez - who had done well whenever asked to perform on the left wing ahead of the World Cup - playing down the middle.
Fabio Carvalho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were each given a half against City on the left wing, and while the former netted it was the latter whose overall performance suggests he could be given an opportunity to start against Villa.
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