Liverpool Starting XI vs Sunderland: Confirmed Team News and Predicted Lineup | OneFootball

Liverpool Predicted XI vs Sunderland as Andoni Iraola Starts With a Depleted Squad

Andoni Iraola gets his first look at Liverpool in match conditions against Sunderland, and the reality is straightforward, this is a squad held together by circumstance rather than choice. Injuries, delayed returns and a thin forward line mean the new head coach heads into Nashville short on established options.

Saturday, July 25 at Geodis Park is still significant. It is Iraola’s first friendly in charge, and while pre-season friendlies are often over-analysed, team selection here tells you plenty about where Liverpool are physically and structurally.

Liverpool injuries leave Iraola short

The injury list is not trivial. Hugo Ekitike is out with an Achilles issue, Conor Bradley has a knee problem and Giovanni Leoni is recovering from an ACL injury. Iraola has already made it clear that none of those three are close to returning this summer.

Wataru Endo and Stefan Bajcetic are with the squad in the United States and involved in partial team training, though caution is expected. There is little point in chasing minutes in July if it creates a bigger problem in August.

Then there are the absentees still on holiday after the World Cup. Alisson, Cody Gakpo, Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Alexander Isak, Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz and Victor Munoz have yet to link up.

Predicted XI against Sunderland

Iraola still has numbers, 31 players are available, and this feels like the kind of game where two distinct elevens could be used across the 90 minutes. The stronger side is expected to start.

Giorgi Mamardashvili should begin in goal. At full-back, Jeremy Frimpong and Milos Kerkez look the obvious choices, with Joe Gomez alongside Jeremy Jacquet in central defence.

In midfield, Trey Nyoni and Curtis Jones are the logical pairing. Ahead of them, Harvey Elliott could operate as the No 10, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Rio Ngumoha offering width.

X: @LFC

The biggest issue is up front. There is no fully fit natural striker pushing to start, so Federico Chiesa may have to do the job through the middle.

Liverpool predicted team in Nashville

Liverpool predicted XI vs Sunderland, 4-2-3-1: Mamardashvili, Frimpong, Jacquet, Gomez, Kerkez, Nyoni, Jones, Szoboszlai, Elliott, Ngumoha, Chiesa.

It is a makeshift side, but that is the point of pre-season. Iraola needs information, not perfection. He will get plenty of it here.