At least nine of the starters for Liverpool’s final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park are already known, but Arne Slot could still face a call on two positions.
The Reds head to Everton on Wednesday night for a belated first derby of the season.
And now both sides are out of the FA Cup and with Liverpool facing Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final, it is guaranteed this will be their last at Goodison Park.
It comes three days after Liverpool’s exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Plymouth, with a shock result to Championship opposition increasing pressure on those rested on Sunday to restore form.
With 10 players left out of the trip to Devon, Slot’s team selection is fairly straightforward to predict.
But there could be two positions up for grabs at this stage – depending on the head coach’s decision over fitness and form respectively.
Team news
From Slot’s pre-match press conference on Tuesday and previous updates we know the following:
Liverpool’s lineup vs. Everton
Slot showed his hand for the derby when he left 10 players on Merseyside at the weekend, with a rotated side and a very young bench named at Plymouth.
At least nine of those 10 will start at Everton – and the likelihood is that all of them will.
That means:
This would see the following lineup at Goodison Park:
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz
However, Slot’s fairly ambiguous update on Alexander-Arnold – who “will train hopefully with us again and we have to decide if we take him” – could cast doubt over the right-back spot.
If Alexander-Arnold is fully fit there is a chance he starts over Bradley, albeit with the odds of that being low at this stage.
And with Luis Diaz playing 90-plus minutes at Plymouth on Sunday, there is a chance the coach turns to Nunez instead to lead his attack
Those two changes would mean this XI:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister; Salah, Gakpo, Nunez
Realistically, Bradley will be trusted to start at Everton as Liverpool take no risks over the long-term fitness of Alexander-Arnold – with his place on the bench even considered a bonus.
But there is certainly more intrigue over who will start as Slot’s No. 9, complicated by Nunez’s midweek trip to Spain last week for the birth of his second child.
Expect Alisson, Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Salah and Gakpo all to start – with a toss-up between Diaz or Nunez up front.
