Will this man return to the starting eleven for the visit of Man Utd tomorrow night?
It’s just little over 24 hours until the big one, when Liverpool ‘welcome’ Manchester United to Anfield for the second time this season, as the two biggest rivals in English football butt heads in European competition for the first time.
While it may not quite have all the glitze and glamour of a Champions League tie, it promises to be one of the biggest games in the history of the two clubs, with a place in the last eight of this season’s Europa League up for grabs.
Neither side has had a particularly memorable season, with just three points and one place separating the two sides, whilst Liverpool have a game in hand.
Considering recent form, the Reds will go into the home leg as marginal favourites, after winning three Premier League games in a row, and losing just one of the last six overall (although that was a penalty shootout).
For Van Gaal’s side, a recent run of good form was ended at West Brom on Sunday, when the 10 men of Utd were beaten 1-0 after a decidedly limp performance. In truth, despite a decent win over a below par Arsenal, the calibre of opponents the Dutchman’s side beat was hardly top-notch.
That said, both sides will field their strongest elevens and go all-out for a first leg victory to take to Old Trafford but pressure will be piled on the Utd boss much more, after two poor seasons in charge and a lot of money now spent.
In terms of available teams, both managers are still dealing with a few injuries. Jurgen Klopp will have to get by without the experience of Brazilian Lucas, whilst youngster Kevin Stewart is still out. On the other hand, both Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho enjoyed a rare rest (Coutinho, for the most part) on Sunday, and Nathaniel Clyne should return whilst Martin Skrtel will also be in contention for a start.
For Van Gaal, the injury list is a bit more extensive, with Wayne Rooney still missing. As are Phil Jones, Ashley Young and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Whilst Antonio Valencia could return in time to make the squad. There are also a handful of youngsters out.
With the FA Cup campaign now over, Liverpool will have slightly less in the way of fixture congestion over the coming weeks, whilst Manchester United have a tough run, with an FA Cup quarter-final at the weekend, before a Manchester derby after the second leg. It truly is a ‘make or break’ fortnight for Van Gaal and the pressure will be huge.
That’s not to say Klopp and his Liverpool team won’t feel under pressure too but at this stage any progression in the Europa League is a bonus, as is every place higher the team climbs in the Premier League so the lads will hopefully go into the game in a relaxed, confident mood.
The match will be live on BT Sport, with the kickoff at 20:05 GMT.
