Liverpool team vs Chelsea predicted as Alexander Isak and Ibrahima Konate decisions made

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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has some major decisions to make ahead of his side facing Chelsea in the Premier League, following a week that has included defeats against Crystal Palace and then Galatasaray.

Playing a third successive away fixture, Liverpool will be looking to bounce back, but it has some injury concerns. First-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker, for instance, is set to be sidelined for a period, while the expectation was that Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa would train on Friday, but it is unclear whether or not they can start.

Giorgi Mamardashvili will play in goal to deputize for Alisson. He arrived from Valencia in the summer for a fee of around $39 million (£29 million) knowing that he was an understudy, but that he would get his chance.

Alisson's injury history suggested that at some point, Mamardashvili's time would come. He will get the opportunity to make his first Premier League start as a result.

In defense, there are some more difficult calls to make. Ibrahima Konate is likely to retain his place in the team but Joe Gomez is an alternative. And at right-back, Slot could go with any of Dominik Szoboszlai, Conor Bradley or Jeremie Frimpong.

Virgil van Dijk will be at the heart of the defense and it is likely to be Milos Kerkez at left-back, though Andy Robertson is an experienced alternative. That only one of Liverpool's back four is a guarantee perhaps tells its own story.

Arne Slot, head coach of Liverpool

Arne Slot, head coach of Liverpool

In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch will play. He could be joined by Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister in the most sturdy Liverpool midfield, though that would probably require Florian Wirtz to drop to the bench.

Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo are the heavy favorites to start out wide, though Chiesa has looked in good form lately, and then Alexander Isak is likely to start up front, with Ekitike hopefully able to make the matchday squad.

"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 of Isak 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."

Liverpool predicted starting XI: Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.

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