Just one week after defeating Chelsea, Liverpool must face its next major test under Arne Slot when the Reds clash with Arsenal at the Emirates.
Through eight matches, Liverpool sits atop the Premier League table, one point above Manchester City and four points clear of Arsenal. If the Reds want to stay in first place, though, they need to secure a victory over the Gunners, something only Bournemouth has managed this season (when Arsenal had ten men).
Liverpool will not be at full strength when it travels to north London on Oct. 27. Slot confirmed Diogo Jota will miss the match due to a rib injury and Alisson is still sidelined with a hamstring injury. Federico Chiesa and Conor Bradley remain doubts as well.
Although Slot has two natural replacements for both Jota and Alisson, the Liverpool boss must also decide who to start alongside Ryan Gravenberch in the midfield. Alexis Mac Allister might be the obvious choice, but Curtis Jones's impressive performance against Chelsea last weekend gives the manager something to think about.
Here's what Liverpool's XI could look like against the Gunners.
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Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
GK: Caoimhin Kelleher—The 25-year-old has only conceded two goals in his four starts for Liverpool this season.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold—The England international is in for his ninth consecutive Premier League start on the right flank.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—Konaté and his fellow defensemen must stand tall if the Reds want to deny Arsenal another set piece goal.
CB: Virgin van Dijk—The captain must silence Kai Havertz, who leads Arsenal with six goals across all competitions.
LB: Andrew Robertson—The Scotland international is set to rejoin the XI after Konstantinos Tsimikas got the nod midweek.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch—A rejuvenated Gravenberch under Slot will be the key to disrupting Arsenal's free-flowing attack.
DM: Alexis Mac Allister—Mac Allister is Slot's first-choice option alongside Gravenberch, but the Argentine has serious competition from Jones, who scored the winner against Chelsea.
RW: Mohamed Salah—Salah has found the back of the net seven times across all competitions this season and will look to add to his 10 career goals against the Gunners on Sunday.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—Szoboszlai is still searching for his first goal of the season.
LW: Luis Díaz—Díaz has seen his spot on the left-wing taken by Cody Gakpo in Liverpool's last two fixtures, but expect the Colombian to return to the XI against Arsenal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal: Premier League.
