Liverpool team vs Leeds predicted as Mohamed Salah returns and Alexander Isak dropped

Arne Slot has plenty of big decisions to make with his misfiring side as England look to finally find some form against Leeds United today.

The Reds’ revival lasted just a matter of days following last weekend’s victory over West Ham, with Wednesday seeing yet another disjointed performance as they toiled to a disappointing draw at home to Sunderland.

All of the same questions remain after that game, with Slot seemingly no closer to knowing his best team. All eyes are on Mohamed Salah at the moment, but the Egyptian is far from the only player whose place should be under scrutiny.

Far too many big names are not hitting the heights they should be, making selection all the more difficult against a Leeds side high on confidence after beating Chelsea, and no doubt Daniel Farke’s side will look to make things as uncomfortable as they can for Liverpool.

So where do we start? Well, Alisson Becker in goal is a given, fitness permitting - and that’s pretty much the only easy decision.

Conor Bradley should be back from injury today, although it might be a bit soon to throw him straight back into the side, especially with options at right-back scarce, so as long as Joe Gomez’s body can handle it, he can continue.

That of course means Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk maintain their partnership at the heart of the defense, while Milos Kerkez could be in line to return at left-back after making way for Andy Robertson in midweek.

Ryan Gravenberch will take his usual spot in midfield, and there is a real argument for Curtis Jones to start after his impact off the bench on Wednesday. With a trip to Inter Milan to take into account on Tuesday, he may well get the nod to replace Alexis Mac Allister today.

Then comes the big question: will Salah return? He didn’t exactly take his chance when called upon against Sunderland, but then neither did most of his teammates.

Now might be the time for him to earn a recall though, so he’s back in his usual spot on the right, with Florian Wirtz starting on the left while Dominik Szoboszlai takes the No.10 role. Federico Chiesa deserves a starting spot, but does anyone actually expect him to be given one?

The last big call comes up top, and surely Hugo Ekitike will start after Alexander Isak’s barely noticeable performance on Wednesday. The Swedish international might need more time to get up to speed with his teammates, but Liverpool simply can’t afford him that at the moment.

Liverpool predicted line-up vs Leeds: Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitike.

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