1 week ago
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Games don’t come much bigger for Liverpool at the moment - losing five in a row is not an option Arne Slot or any supporter wants to think about.
The Reds are in Germany ahead of their latest Champions League encounter as they prepare to face Eintracht Frankfurt, desperate not to hit another low and match an unwanted 72-year record.
Having fallen to a fourth consecutive defeat at home to Manchester United on Sunday, concerns over Liverpool’s spending spree during the summer have been magnified, with this season’s new-look side continuing to look disjointed, and Slot still no nearer to working out his best side.
Whatever that eventually looks like, for now, the Liverpool boss has to prioritize form - what little there is of that at the moment - over reputation or price tags. That means some big names could be dropped from today’s line-up.
Let’s start with the obvious - Giorgi Mamardashvili will make his first Champions League start for the Reds in goal, and he will need to do better than he managed for United’s early opener at the weekend.
Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate will inevitably continue their partnership in defense, but we could see changes either side of them.
Milos Kerkez needs to be taken out of the firing line, and Andy Robertson is overdue his place back in the side at left-back. Who starts at right-back is a trickier question, with Conor Bradley still struggling to nail down the spot, and Jeremie Frimpong not exactly doing much better.
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There is a very real possibility that Dominik Szoboszlai will get the nod there again, although with Ryan Gravenberch out, he might have to stay put in midfield. In that case, given Bradley hasn’t been great recently, Frimpong will get the nod.
With Gravenberch out, Curtis Jones should come back into the side. He looked a lot more assured than many of his teammates on Sunday, so he deserves a start, and Alexis Mac Allister probably needs a rest, and not just because of the head injury he picked up at the weekend.
Let’s get to the big calls. Given his recent performances, Mohamed Salah should be dropped, and given Federico Chiesa’s displays off the bench, the Italian should start.
You can never confidently predict that Chiesa will be given his opportunity, with Slot seemingly not all that convinced on him, but surely now has to be the time for him to try and make his mark.
The jury might still be out on Florian Wirtz, but he was one of the brighter performers during the second half against United, and against a side that he would have faced regularly during his time in the Bundesliga, hopefully this might finally be the game to kick-start his Liverpool career.
Cody Gakpo survives the changes in attack, although Alexander Isak doesn’t. Liverpool can’t afford to carry a player still searching for form and fitness, so Hugo Ekitike should lead the line against his former club. Whoever starts though, the message is simple for the Reds - just win.
Predicted Liverpool line-up vs Eintracht Frankfurt: Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Jones; Chiesa, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
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