All eyes will be firmly glued to Arne Slot’s team sheet when Liverpool take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon.
Having promised crunch talks with Mohamed Salah amid their ongoing and very public feud, the outcome of those discussions will become clear when Liverpool’s official matchday squad is released. If Salah features, there could be hope of a resolution. If the Egyptian is absent, pressure builds ahead of the January transfer window.
Even if Salah is among those on the team coach, there are no guarantees he will be reintegrated into the starting lineup. Slot utilised a narrow diamond formation during an accomplished midweek win over Inter and he will be tempted to persist with his new set up against Brighton.
Here is how Liverpool could line up this weekend.
Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton (4-1-2-1-2)
GK: Alisson—Alisson wasn’t as busy as he might have expected against Inter at San Siro but he still produced a stellar save to deny Lautaro Martínez. The world-class Brazilian is certainly not to blame for Liverpool’s shoddy defensive record.
RB: Joe Gomez—With Conor Bradley suspended after a fifth yellow card of the season last weekend, Slot will turn to Gomez at right back for the clash with Brighton. He could come up against the fleet-footed Kaoru Mitoma on the Japan international’s return from injury.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—If only Konaté could be as unproblematic as he was against Inter on a weekly basis. There is still a competent and perhaps even brilliant defender somewhere within the underperforming Frenchman.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—Van Dijk led by example in Liverpool’s time of need at San Siro, producing a defiant performance against Martínez and Marcus Thuram. Brighton’s Danny Welbeck poses a very different threat on Saturday.
LB: Milos Kerkez—Liverpool continue to look more resilient with Robertson in the team but Slot has repeatedly persisted with Kerkez despite the summer recruit’s sub-par displays. He could be recalled to the lineup to match Yankuba Minteh’s blistering speed.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch—Gravenberch deserved to be on the winning team during last weekend’s stellar display at Leeds and he was similarly confident at Inter. Two impressive performances will boost his confidence.
CM: Dominik Szoboszlai—Once again, Szoboszlai was Liverpool’s star performer against Inter. The Hungarian has provided the consistency his teammates have so sorely lacked and will offer excellent balance between attack and defence if Slot opts for a diamond system.
CM: Curtis Jones—Jones can be a lovely watch on his day but those have been a tad too inconsistent over recent years. With Alexis Mac Allister still well below his best, he has an opportunity to nail a regular starting position.
AM: Florian Wirtz—The German was only utilised from the bench at San Siro and made a vital contribution from the bench, winning an admittedly soft penalty late in the day. Wirtz continues to offer glimpses of his talents.
ST: Alexander Isak—Isak and Hugo Ekitiké made a rare start side-by-side against Inter and the Swede was certainly the quieter of the two forwards. He’s a slight doubt for the weekend after taking a knock in Italy, but should be fine to feature.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton: Major Salah Decision for Under Fire Slot.
