Liverpool’s return to Premier League action is nearing ever closer as they prepare to face Manchester City.
The Reds travel to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in the lunchtime kick-off as their battle for a top four finish resumes. Liverpool are in sixth place in the Premier League currently seven points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with two games in hand.
Jurgen Klopp will hope to have a nearly fully-fit squad when Liverpool travel to Manchester. There will, of course, still be some players who will be unavailable for selection.
READ MORE: Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez: Liverpool injury news and return dates ahead of Man City
Thiago Alcantara is unlikely to be fit, as he continues his recovery from a hip flexor injury. Whether he will be able to return for the subsequent games against Chelsea or Arsenal remains to be seen.
Luis Diaz has returned to full training in the days leading up to the trip to the Etihad Stadium. The Colombia international has been out with a knee injury since October.
However, despite the recent boost, it would seem like a major risk to include Diaz in the starting line-up to face Man City. If Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez are all available, then there is no real need to risk Diaz and so a place on the bench is most likely.
There are still question marks over the fitness of Nunez and Gakpo. A cut ankle saw Nunez withdraw from the Uruguay squad last week, while Gakpo withdrew from the Netherlands squad due to illness, but did return to feature in the second half of their 3-0 win over Gibraltar on Monday night.
With Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold not featuring in the Brazil and England squads, respectively, in the international break, the duo will have had a decent break to rest ahead of the season’s run-in.
Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson will each have played twice for their respective countries during the break. Despite this, Klopp will hope that each of the trio are fit and ready for the trip to the Etihad.
There are other options in defence, of course. Joel Matip and Joe Gomez are other central defensive options, while Kostas Tsimikas is a reliable figure at left-back. But if Van Dijk, Konate and Robertson are available, you would expect them to start against Man City.
Midfield is a much trickier question for Klopp to answer. Does he start the likes of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or James Milner, who may not even be at the club next season?
Or do Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Harvey Elliott start, with Thiago still on the sidelines? You would expect the latter to be the most likely.
And, of course, should Mohamed Salah be fit after featuring for Egypt, then he is a near-certain starter against Man City. There is also Jota, Roberto Firmino and Fabio Carvalho as other possible forward options for Klopp to choose from.
Liverpool dream XI vs Man City: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Elliott; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.
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