Starting XI Prediction: Who Will Face Sheffield United?

Liverpool will continue their pursuit of the Premier League title as they face Sheffield United at Anfield on Thursday. A victory for the Reds will move them back to the top of the table – two points clear of Arsenal and three clear of Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp has received some positive fitness updates ahead of Thursday’s clash, with Andy Robertson and Curtis Jones both back in contention. The likes of Alisson Becker, Alexander-Arnold, Stefan Bajcetic and Diogo Jota will all unfortunately miss out on this occasion.

With that in mind, let’s have a look at who could make it into Liverpool’s starting eleven against Sheffield United.

Robbo’s Return

First of all, let’s take a look at the likely defensive line for Klopp’s side. Caoimhin Kelleher will remain in goal, whilst Alisson Becker continues his recovery to full fitness. Ahead of him, Virgil Van Dijk will likely be partnered by Jarell Quansah once again as Ibou Konate will be eyeing up a return for the Manchester United game on Sunday.

Conor Bradley will start at right-back due to Alexander-Arnold’s injury, whilst Joe Gomez will start on the opposite side. You can definitely expect to see Andy Robertson come on in the 60th minute to build up some sharpness ahead of Sunday’s game.

Verdict: Kelleher, Bradley, Quansah, Van Dijk (C), Gomez

Replacing Endo

Jurgen Klopp may be faced with a difficult decision as Wataru Endo is a potential doubt for Thursday’s game after picking up a minor injury against Brighton. The likely solution is that Alexis Mac Allister will drop into the base of the midfield.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott will likely be the two midfielders ahead of Mac Allister. However, should Liverpool be comfortable in the game, then both Mac Allister and Szoboszlai will be protected ahead of Sunday.

You can expect to see Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch replace the duo after around 60 minutes, whilst it wouldn’t surprise me to see Elliott play a full 90 minutes.

Verdict: Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Elliott

Gakpo’s Shot at Redemption

Many will be wanting to see the same front three as Sunday, but I actually expect Cody Gakpo to given a rare Premier League start. The Dutchman has had his fair share of critics lately, but this could be a huge opportunity to prove them wrong.

Mohamed Salah will definitely start on the right-wing, whilst I actually think Darwin Nunez will take the final spot in the front three. That would leave Luis Diaz to drop to the bench, purely due to the fact he played more minutes than Nunez at the weekend. This selection of forwards would also allow a reasonable amount of tactical flexibility and a potential shift to two strikers, if necessary.

Verdict: Salah, Gakpo, Nunez

Starting XI: Kelleher, Bradley, Quansah, Van Dijk (C), Gomez, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Elliott, Salah, Gakpo, Nunez

Bench: Adrian, Konate, Robertson, Tsimikas, McConnell, Jones, Gravenberch, Diaz, Danns