Liverpool’s players and coaching staff barely had time to digest the 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday before thoughts turned to their next assignment.
The first midweek round of Premier League fixtures in 2023/24, on which you can place a bet with https://casinosnotongamstop.net, sees the Reds travel to face Sheffield United on Wednesday night, with an even quicker turnaround for the visit to Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime.
The compact scheduling, which’ll see Jurgen Klopp’s side make trips to Yorkshire and south London in the space of 72 hours, will surely see the manager ring the changes to his starting XI from one game to the next in order to utilise the depth of his squad and keep players fresh.
Liverpool starting XI v Fulham
Firstly, a quick reminder of the starting XI that Klopp selected for the 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday. One man who we definitely know won’t be playing at Bramall Lane or Selhurst Park is Joel Matip, who hobbled out of yesterday’s clash and will be out injured for the foreseeable future.
Liverpool predicted XI v Sheffield United
Injuries to the likes of Andy Robertson, Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota have lessened Klopp’s options when it comes to squad rotation, so there mightn’t be as much of an overhaul for the Wednesday night trip to Sheffield United.
Ibrahima Konate is likely to start at centre-back in place of the stricken Cameroonian, while Wataru Endo could come into the side following his goalscoring heroics on Sunday. Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo are also possible starters, having both begun on the bench against Fulham.
Liverpool predicted XI v Crystal Palace
The rapid turnaround to Palace on Saturday could see a few more changes in personnel, especially for those who start the two preceding games.
We expect to see Joe Gomez come into the side either on the right or in the centre of defence, while Jarell Quansah might also be called upon to start if Klopp is wary of handing Konate two starts in four days.
Alexis Mac Allister should come back in if he’s rested against the Blades, while Harvey Elliott could also be given an overdue start. Dominik Szoboszlai might be held in reserve, with the Hungarian having not scored for Liverpool since the end of September.
One personnel change in attack could see Gakpo moved to the left to accommodate the return of Darwin Nunez, with Luis Diaz given a breather.
Perhaps the most interesting alteration seen above is the possibility of Trent starting in midfield outright, rather than being tasked with the hybrid role that he’s played for much of 2023.