“Limited Rotation” – Predicted Liverpool Lineup Against Crystal Palace | OneFootball

Starting XI Prediction as Liverpool Prepare for Crystal Palace Clash

Liverpool picked up another crucial victory during the week as they beat Bologna 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League to maintain their 100% record in that competition. That win also saw Arne Slot break the record for the best start by any Liverpool manager in history, winning eight of his first nine games in charge.

This weekend though sees the Reds take on a completely different challenge as they face Crystal Palace in the early kick-off at Selhurst Park. Many will remember the disastrous defeat to the Eagles at the end of last season, which majorly derailed Liverpool’s Premier League title charge under Jurgen Klopp. Slot will undoubtedly be looking to avoid such fate on Saturday so let’s take a look at our predicted starting lineup for this one…

Unchanged Defence

With the international break upon us, I suspect there may be limited rotation in the lineup for Saturday. Alisson Becker will, of course, remain in between the sticks for this one with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson both staying as the full-backs for this one.

Photo: IMAGO

Similarly, Virgil Van Dijk and Ibou Konate will continue their colossal partnership at the back. Consequently, Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas will all have to settle for a place amongst the substitutes.

Verdict: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk (C), Robertson

Slot’s Pressing Machine

Applying the same logic to the midfield, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister will partner each other at the base of the midfield once again. Both players were standout performers in the victory over Bologna on Wednesday and will be looking to keep building on such performances.

Photo: IMAGO

Dominik Szoboszlai will remain in his crucial role as the more advanced midfielder and combining with the central forward to maintain Slot’s intricate pressing patterns. The Hungarian will be looking to add more end-product to his performances though, which has been one criticism of his game recently.

Verdict: Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai

Big Decision Up-Front

Perhaps the biggest decision that is consistently facing Slot at the moment is who starts as the central forward. That position is between Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez and to be brutally honest, neither player is seemingly grabbing that place with any real conviction at the moment. For this one, I suspect Jota will come back into the side for multiple reasons. The Portuguese forward just fits Slot’s build-up and pressing styles much more than his teammate – largely due to his ability to drop deep into midfield to help progress the ball.

Photo: IMAGO

On either side of him, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will remain in the side with Cody Gakpo set to be on the bench once again. Fitness concerns are still looming over Federico Chiesa, who could be set to miss out on the squad entirely.

Verdict: Salah, Jota, Diaz

Starting XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk (C), Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Salah, Jota, Diaz

Bench: Kelleher, Gomez, Quansah, Tsimikas, Bradley, Endo, Jones, Gakpo, Nunez