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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Ian Doyle

Jurgen Klopp faces difficult Roberto Firmino call as Liverpool assess formation change

Liverpool continued their strong end to the season with a seventh successive victory by cruising past Leicester City on Monday evening.

Curtis Jones scored twice and Trent Alexander-Arnold once as the Reds secured a comprehensive 3-0 victory. Liverpool will now look to keep alive their slender hopes of Champions League qualification when they entertain Aston Villa on Saturday.

And here we look ahead to the changes Jurgen Klopp could make when his team are next in action.

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Defence stays

With just two games remaining and the Reds requiring successive victories to maintain any chance of a top-four finish, there's little scope now for overly rotating and resting players.

So, injury permitting, Klopp will see no reason to disrupt a defence that has now kept three successive clean sheets. Alisson Becker has started every Premier League game this season, and remains firmly ahead of Caoimhin Kelleher and Adrian in the pecking order.

At left-back, Andy Robertson continues to be preferred to Kostas Tsimikas, while on the other flank Trent Alexander-Arnold has embraced his new inverted right-back role. With Calvin Ramsay having only last week started running again, Joe Gomez and James Milner are the other alternatives.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are the first-choice centre-back pairing, with Joel Matip and then Gomez next in line. Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams have made just one Premier League bench each in the last three months.

Lack of midfield options

The midfield has also largely been settled of late as Liverpool continue to ponder the impact of their new formation, although that has in some way been due to a lack of availability with Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic out for the season.

Fabinho has rediscovered consistency as the anchor while Curtis Jones has started the last nine games on the left of the engine room triumvirate, with skipper Jordan Henderson returning on the right against Leicester. Harvey Elliott is another option along with Milner, while Cody Gakpo played in the position against Brentford earlier this month.

Arthur Melo made the bench on Monday, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn't been involved in more than six weeks while Naby Keita's last outing came in February.

Nunez question

The real intrigue for Liverpool supporters is whether Roberto Firmino will be fit for his Anfield farewell after eight years at the club. Firmino, who hasn't featured since the win at Leeds United last month, would most likely be on the bench at best.

Mohamed Salah is poised to continue on the right wing as he chases a 20th Premier League goal of the season, although the other two positions are up for grabs.

Gakpo reverted down the centre against Leicester but will come under pressure from Darwin Nunez should the Uruguayan overcome a minor toe injury. Luis Diaz lasted 74 minutes on the left wing with Diogo Jota pressing for a recall, while Fabio Carvalho made a rare substitute outing on Monday.

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