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Liverpool has confirmed its starting XI to take on Nottingham Forest, with Arne Slot missing the likes of Florian Wirtz, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong through injury.
Alisson Becker returns in goal after missing eight games with a hamstring issue, replacing Giorgi Mamardashvili. Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez are in the defensive backline in front of him.
Ryan Gravenberch is joined by Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones in midfield, with Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo in attack. Hugo Ekitike is named among the substitutes and could start against PSV midweek in Europe.
"It is good to be back," Slot writes in the official matchday program. "Not just because it has been a couple of weeks since we last played, but also to be at home in front of our own fans in the knowledge of the backing that we always receive here and the strong form that this contributes to.
"This is something that we can not and should not lose sight of. The week before the international break did not end in the way we would have wanted it to but this does not erase what happened in the two previous fixtures.
"Yes, it was a bad end to that week but at the same time it should not be lost sight of that it was a bad end to a good week. Our victories and performances against Aston Villa and Real Madrid — two teams who came to Anfield in very good form — allowed us to make two steps forward following a very difficult period in which results definitely were not good enough.
"So it was two steps forward followed by one step back and this means we have made progress at the same time as knowing there is a lot of work that needs to be done and more steps that need to be taken.
"Today brings us an opportunity on both fronts and we know that — as always — the harder we work the more likely we are to make the progress that isn't just desired, it is a necessity of being part of a club like Liverpool where expectations are only ever really high and rightly so."
"You only need to look at the fixture schedule to recognise how important the next few weeks and months are," Virgil van Dijk adds.
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"From now until March, we will play every three or four days, pretty much, meaning we need to be extremely focused, extremely committed and ready to rest, recover and go again very quickly.
"What it also means, however, is that there is a great opportunity to show some real consistency, to put some results and performances together and to make real progress, both domestically and in Europe. That is absolutely our aim, and it starts on Saturday."
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