James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino could all start for Liverpool in their Champions League group stage opener against Napoli at the San Paolo on Tuesday night, according to The Athletic journalist James Pearce.
The former Liverpool Echo reporter claimed via a live Q&A session via The Athletic’s website on Saturday that they are three changes that Jurgen Klopp could opt to make after the trio failed to start in the 3-1 win against Newcastle.
“Won’t be many changes. Henderson will come back in and I’m sure Firmino will start. Milner could also get the nod,” said Pearce.
Firmino came off the bench in the first half to put in a man of the match shift against Newcastle on Saturday while Milner also came off the bench and Henderson was an unused substitute.
OPINION
Liverpool will want to get off to a winning start in their Champions League group stage so it will not be a massive surprise to see Klopp name as strong a team as possible for what is likely to be the toughest out of the six matches the Reds will face. Napoli, Red Bull Salzburg and Genk lie in wait for the Reds over the coming months as they aim to defend their current status as European champions. After playing against Napoli, Liverpool’s players will have a decent time to rest up in time for Sunday’s Premier League showdown against Chelsea. That’s a big game but one that Klopp’s players should be well-rested for. Chelsea play against Valencia at home on Tuesday night so it will be interesting to see how many changes Frank Lampard makes to his side for that game because it could have an impact on proceedings in London at the weekend.
