We’re just a couple of hours away from Jurgen Klopp potentially making history as Liverpool’s latest manager and the whole outcome of the league cup final could literally hinge on his team selection.
The reports on team news this morning indicate that Martin Skrtel, Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana and Joe Allen are all back in training and could well play some role in the match-day squad. The quintet are unlikely to start but would give Klopp massive strength from the bench.
Meanwhile, the recent performances of Kolo Toure are likely to see the former Man City player return to the centre of defence, whilst Lucas Leiva put in a top display there himself mid-week which could well see the 29 year old back in the middle of the park as a reward for his form.
In our view, Emre Can could and, perhaps should, be the man to lose out in favour of the Brazilian, after a long run of relatively indifferent form. There’s no doubting that Lucas would provide a much more stern and reliable platform in front of the defence than the 22 year old Can.
The front three are unlikely to be changed, whilst James Milner and Jordan Henderson will undoubtedly start. With that in mind, we’ve taken a crack at selecting the 11 that Klopp could put his full faith in to give him his first trophy as Liverpool manager:
Starting XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Moreno, Toure, Sakho; Lucas, Henderson, Milner; Coutinho, Firmino, Sturridge