Liverpool return to Premier League action on Saturday evening when they welcome Brentford to Anfield (5.30pm kick-off).
The Reds host the Bees on the back of five straight wins but still seem set to finish outside of the top four for the first time since Jurgen Klopp's debut season. The most recent of those victories came against Fulham on Wednesday night.
Klopp’s side are just four points behind fourth-placed Manchester United. But the Red Devils do have a game in hand on their rivals and know nine points from their final five matches would be enough to qualify for the Champions League.
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Speaking on Friday afternoon, Liverpool boss Klopp revealed Thiago Alcantara will miss the final four games of the season due to injury. Diogo Jota and Jordan Henderson will be assessed ahead of the game against Brentford, while Roberto Firmino and Naby Keita remain sidelined.
Klopp made three changes to his team that overcame Fulham - and more changes could be made for the clash against the Bees.
Darwin Nunez was the man chosen to lead the line on Wednesday night, and one suspects that he could again be given the nod by his boss again on Saturday.
Luis Diaz's Liverpool workload has been considerable for a player who spent six months on the shelf and underwent knee surgery in December, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him start this one on the bench.
Mohamed Salah looks certain to start again, while Jota and Cody Gakpo look set to battle it out for the last remaining spot in the forward line. But given the concern about Jota's fitness, one suspects Gakpo will be selected to start.
In midfield, Harvey Elliott could return in place of Jordan Henderson, but Curtis Jones is expected to continue after playing himself into good form in recent weeks. Fabinho was one of the key performers against Fulham and will likely anchor the midfield once more.
While at the back, Andy Robertson will probably return for Konstantinos Tsimikas, with Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Alisson Becker all expected to keep their places.
Liverpool predicted line-up vs Brentford: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Jones, Elliott; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.
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