Liverpool are back in action tonight when they take on Manchester City in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup at the Etihad Stadium.
Given just seven Liverpool players went to Qatar for the World Cup, Jurgen Klopp will be given the chance to field a strong starting XI when they take on the Premier League champions.
The likes of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Thiago Alcantara will likely find themselves in the starting XI against a City side short of some of their World Cup stars.
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Liverpool 's Egyptian star was absent from the World Cup and his extended break could be bad news for the rest of the Premier League as he was seemingly hitting his stride just before the league stopped in November.
A winning goal against City in October in Anfield was met with a match-winning double away at Tottenham as Liverpool ended the first part of the season in good form, but there is a strong need for that to continue.
The match against City gives the Reds an opportunity to fully get up to speed before they travel to Villa Park on Boxing Day to take on an Aston Villa side revitalised by new manager Unai Emery. Many more points cannot be afforded to be dropped.
Darwin Nunez's World Cup didn't go to plan with Uruguay exiting the tournament at the group stage, but Liverpool's November Player of the Month was starting to settle into life on Merseyside and more will be expected from him when the Premier League returns.
Fringe players can also benefit massively from this match with Klopp potentially being without nine senior players for the City clash.
Youngster Calvin Ramsay could start at right-back in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold while Ibrahima Konate's exploits with France may give Joe Gomez another chance to impress, just as he did in October when Liverpool beat City.
Gomez has one of his most impressive games in a Liverpool shirt when he and Virgil van Dijk kept Erling Haaland quiet the last time the two teams met and will be wanting to try and secure his spot in the side.
Another player with a chance of cementing a starting spot in the side is Fabio Carvalho. With Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz suffering from serious injuries, Carvalho could be the man to step up in the absence of the two stars.
With Liverpool currently seven points behind Spurs in fourth place, it is imperative they carry on in the Premier League where they left off as the battle for the top four is more competitive than ever with Newcastle, Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs all battling the Reds.
Any win over Pep Guardiola's side gives huge confidence for the coming games and that will be vital for Liverpool going into the second half of the season.
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