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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has named his starting XI for the game with Chelsea as the Reds look to bounce back from two defeats this week at the hands of Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.
Alisson Becker picked up an injury midweek so Giorgi Mamardashvili makes his Premier League bow. Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez make up the rest of the defense.
In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai is joined by Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister. Mohamed Salah returns to the starting XI on the right-hand side, with Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo also in attack.
Hugo Ekitike, who went off midweek, is fit enough for the bench. Federico Chiesa, who wasn't involved in the traveling party to Istanbul, also returns.
Midfielder Gravenberch has backed Mamardashvili to step into Alisson's shoes (or gloves). "We know Ali is a big loss because, for me, he’s the best goalkeeper in the world," the Dutchman admitted to Liverpool's official website.
"But we know with Giorgi, he showed already what quality he has. Also in training, he’s really good.
"I know he will do really good for us. I’m happy for him that he will make his Premier League debut and I’m really looking forward [to it] for him."
Slot, meanwhile, said that Isak is still getting up to speed again after arriving at Anfield from Newcastle United. The $169 million (£125 million) number nine has only started one Premier League game before now, against Crystal Palace.
"I said to him when he started that the difficult thing will be you will have your appearances, like you just said, but if you add the minutes together, [he] probably only had two or three 90-minute games," Slot said on Friday.
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"That is what we inherited from the situation of him not being with the team in Newcastle and we knew this before, so it's not an excuse.
He already scored a goal, he gets fitter and fitter, but the main thing is he adjusts to his teammates and the teammates adjust to him.
"The more he plays together, the better things will work. He had a great counter movement in the Palace game, where in the end the midfielder didn't see that and he already played the ball to the right.
"If he would have seen it, he would have been one-on-one to the goalkeeper. So, these are things you get if you play more together."
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