Liverpool team news vs West Bromwich Albion – Mario Balotelli starts up front

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Brendan Rodgers has made his intentions clear with today’s team selection, handing Mario Balotelli his first Liverpool start since mid-February.

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The Reds are in desperate need of all three points to keep our top four hopes alive and supporters will no doubt be delighted to see such an attacking line-up.

What remains unclear is the formation that we’ll be playing today. On the surface, it appears to be 3-4-3, with Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling playing behind Balotelli, Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard in central midfield, and Jordon Ibe and Glen Johnson operating as wing-backs.

We could also be looking at a 4-4-2, with Can at right back and Johnson on the left, Ibe and Sterling out wide and Coutinho up top just behind Balotelli. Or it could even be a 4-3-3, with the Brazilian joining Henderson and Gerrard in midfield, while our two young Englishman support Mario.

Adam Lallana returns to the match-day squad, albeit among the substitutes, while there’s no place for Rickie Lambert or Alberto Moreno, who we assume must have picked up an injury.

The full teams can be seen below:

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