Saturday proved another frustrating afternoon for the Reds after further defensive troubles saw us draw 1-1 with Burnley at Anfield.
And the main talking point remains rooted with Jurgen Klopp’s seeming reluctance towards partnering Joel Matip with someone other than the seemingly incompetent Dejan Lovren or the unreliable Ragnar Klavan.
The Reds looked dangerous going forward again, registering 35 shots during the contest but it was all too familiar as the home side fell behind through a Scott Arfield goal just before the half-an-hour mark. Worse yet, we could well have lost the game late on had Matip not cleared Ben Mee’s effort off the line.
Seven changes were made to the side that drew with Sevilla midweek and this could well have disrupted the team despite their sustained fluidity against the Clarets. The question becomes: Could further rotations pose a problem for Liverpool when they meet Leicester on Tuesday?
Danny Ward is expected to start between the sticks after being outlined as Liverpool’s goalkeeper for cup competitions. Sadio Mane is also unavailable as he serves the second game of a three-match ban sustained in Manchester, while Adam Lallana also remains side lined with a thigh injury.
Mo Salah will be the key man for the Reds as he has enjoyed successive goals and MOTM performances after his summer switch from Roma. It’s also expected that Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold will be rested after participating heavily during the weekend’s draw. This rotation policy leaves Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in good stead for his first start for the Reds, but in which position this might be remains up in the air.
Focusing on rotation, this could give hopes to Dominic Solanke to stake his place. The former Chelsea man has made several substitute appearances since signing for the Reds but has yet to start a game. An appearance against Burnley left Liverpool fans champing at the bit with a side-footed effort that rattled the bar, denying him of his first goal in a Liverpool shirt.
Daniel Sturridge’s 90 minutes on the weekend give weight to Solanke being given a chance as Roberto Firmino was favoured in Mane’s spot amongst the forward three. Danny Ings could also feature after the ex-Burnley striker resumed training with the first team over the last week. He is expected to gain minutes for the U23 side against West Ham on Monday or travel with the senior squad for the Leicester game.
As for the hosts, they dispatched Sheffield United in a rampant 4-1 victory at Bramall Lane last round. Islam Slimani’s brace was accompanied by goals from Demarai Gray and Ahmed Musa to help seal the victory. But the result wasn’t quite as convincing as the score line would suggest, Leicester falling short for much of the game both in possession and in quality.
Tuesday’s game will be the first of two meetings in the space of five days as the reds travel to the King Power Stadium on Sunday for a Premier League clash. Leicester’s reasonably poor start to the season has seen them collect only four points, one of which came on the weekend against an unfortunate Huddersfield.
We can expect the Foxes to field a strong team as relegation doesn’t pose much of a threat but the Foxes displaying little other promise in the way of trophies or similar league ambitions as two seasons prior.
What Liverpool must be wary of are the attacking threats that Leicester possess. Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, Marc Albrighton, Gray, Shinji Okazaki and Slimani all offer the home side considerable presence in the wider areas as well as through the middle; all of who will be looking to capitalise on Liverpool’s continuous defensive problems to progress to the next round of the Carabao Cup.
Score prediction, Reds? Let us know below!
