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There is no respite for Liverpool as they prepare to play their fourth game in nine days – this time at Premier League high-flyers Nottingham Forest.
The relentless run of fixtures has yet to lead to an injury crisis for Arne Slott, but his players are undoubtedly feeling the momentum as they juggle league action with both FA Cup and Carabao Cup commitments.
Of the three games Liverpool have played in the last week and a splash, they have only won against League Two’s Accrington Stanley. Manchester United took a deserved point away from Anfield earlier Tottenham upset the apple cart with a narrow win at the Reds in the first leg of a Carabao Cup semi-final tie.
Tuesday’s clash against Forest is another really tough test, with Nuno Espirito Santo surprisingly sitting in third place after stringing together a terrific run of results. Indeed, they are just six points adrift of leaders Liverpool on the points tally, and have won their last six matches in a row in all competitions.
Here’s how Liverpool There may be queues at City Ground.
GK: Alison – Liverpool’s number one goalkeeper sat out the FA Cup tie at the weekend but will be straight back here.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – Criticized for his performance against Man Utd, Alexander-Arnold responded in the only way he knows how – smashing one into the top corner from 20 yards – during his hour-long stint against Accrington.
CB: Ibrahima Konate – with Joe Gomez is sidelined with a hamstring injury For closer and Jarrel Kwansah not at the forefront of Slott’s mind, it’s Konate who shapes up next to Alexander-Arnold.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – The Reds skipper had to put his feet up on Saturday but his boots will be made extra tight in preparation for 12-goal Chris Wood.
LB: Andy Robertson – Although Robertson’s drop in performance levels is noticeable, he is still a more consistent operator than Kostas Tsimikas. The Greek played the full 90 minutes against Accrington, suggesting he will return to the bench this time around.
DM: Ryan Gravenburch – One of the surprise packages of the season, it’s probably a fair comment to say that Gravenburch is now one of the first names on Slott’s teamsheet.
DM: Alexis McAllister – Likewise, McAllister continues to go from strength to strength in midfield and looks more of a bargain with each passing day. If there’s one criticism of the 26-year-old, it’s that he hasn’t scored enough goals – one in 18. Premier League The look certainly doesn’t seem to match its quality.
RW: Mohamed Salah – A player who has no trouble finding the back of the net is one of the Premier League’s greatest ever players. 18 goals for the season at an average of one every 93 minutes is elite.
AM: Dominic Soboszlai – The Hungarian international will compete with Curtis Jones for the attacking midfield role – not much but Szoboszlai may get the nod.
LW: Cody Gakpo – The Dutchman’s arrival at Anfield after World Cup 2022 surprised many, given the raft of quality that then-manager Jurgen Klopp already had. But Gakpo is now one of the main ingredients Liverpool‘s forward line, has scored 12 in all competitions so far.
ST: Luis Diaz – Diogo Jota is working hard to claw back his starting spot and with Darwin Nunez absent through suspension, he has every chance of getting slot backing. However, Diaz has been tremendous for Liverpool on the road and is hard to ignore.
