Liverpool are days away from signing Christian Benteke from Aston Villa for £32.5m, reports the Guardian, and for that kind of money, you can expect the centre-forward to lead our line come open day versus Stoke City.
The Britannia is of course the scene of the humiliation we suffered in our final game of last season, and you can be sure Brendan Rodgers and his new look coaching lineup will be doing everything they can to banish the memories of that humbling afternoon.
Here’s how we think Liverpool might line up with the imminent forward signing in an attempt to do so…
GK) Simon Mignolet
Mignolet will be the no.1 going into the new season, but will have new Hungarian no.2 Adam Bogdan backing him up from the bench. He’ll really be hoping he isn’t nearly as busy as the last time he played at the Britannia.
DR) Nathaniel Clyne
Emre Can started at right-back on the final day of last season, but Clyne’s been signed for £12.5m as the long-term option for this position, and after a full pre-season, he’s practically a certainty for the spot come August.
DL) Alberto Moreno
With Jon Flanagan a long-term doubt, Moreno is the only natural option for the left-back spot, providing we don’t sign another top player here, which seems unlikely.
DC) Martin Skrtel
Skrtel’s signed a new contract, and has been the first defender on Rodgers’ team-sheet for the past two full seasons.
DC) Mamadou Sakho
A fit Sakho is a better centre-back than Dejan Lovren, and arguably better than Skrtel, too. When healthy in 2014/15 he was excellent, and the Frenchman deserves a starting role if he gets through pre-season unharmed.
