Liverpool will take the next step in their Europa League campaign when they host Toulouse at Anfield this evening and Jurgen Klopp could be set to make a number of changes to his side that beat Everton in the Merseyside Derby.
The Reds continued their challenge to dominate in the Premier League when they took a well-fought three points away from their clash with their bitter rivals at Anfield last weekend.
Now Klopp will turn his attention to the European stage where the Liverpool boss will be hopeful his team can keep the dreams alive of delivering another trophy to the club’s huge collection this season.
The Merseyside giants sit comfortably at the top of Group E after taking two wins from their first two outings in the European competition, however, Toulouse appears to be their biggest competition for the top spot as the French side are also unbeaten so far and just two points behind their opponents tonight.
In terms of injuries, Klopp has been handed a huge boost with the return of Dutch forward Cody Gakpo, who could be a likely candidate to make an appearance in the centre-forward role under the lights at Anfield tonight.
However, the German coach will be without reliable left-back Andy Robertson after he underwent successful shoulder surgery, whilst Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic remain unavailable for selection as neither has returned to first-team training as of yet.
How could Liverpool line up vs Toulouse?
We expect Klopp to make four changes to the starting line-up he deployed against Sean Dyche’s side on Saturday, maintaining his classic and successful 4-3-3 formation…
In the defensive set-up we predict just one change with Jarell Quansah joining Ibrahima Konate in the centre-back partnership to replace club captain Virgil van Dijk, whilst Alisson Becker, Kostas Tsimikas and Trent Alexander-Arnold all retain their spot in the starting side.
In midfield, we expect to see two changes as a huge hint on selection was revealed when Curtis Jones joined his manager in the pre-match press conference yesterday, so it would be extremely likely that he is a shoo-in to start in the centre of the pitch alongside Ryan Gravenberch who will retain his spot from the weekend.
The second change we predict in midfield is a rarely-seen start for newcomer Wataru Endo who has yet to cement his spot in the defensive midfield role at Liverpool, however, a chance to impress and gain the trust of his coach could be handed this evening.
The fourth and final change we expect to see at Anfield tonight is a starting opportunity for the club’s number nine Darwin Nunez, who will be accompanied by an otherwise unchanged attacking threat completed by Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz.
The Uruguayan striker will bring bundles of energy and unpredictability to the game and will undoubtedly cause nothing but trouble for Toulouse’s defensive presence tasked with holding him down, something that will be a big boost in the attempt to take an early lead in front of the home support.
Whilst we don’t expect Gakpo to start, there is a huge chance he will be given the opportunity to gain some minutes in the second-half of the European clash and will likely make an appearance to see out what Klopp will hope will be a comfortable and positive performance.
