Liverpool return to domestic duty following the recent international break, and they face Manchester City this afternoon in what should ordinarily be a blockbuster Premier League clash.
This season however, the Anfield side have struggled majorly and have nothing to play for aside from trying to secure fourth spot in the league, whereas City are chasing glory on three fronts.
The Reds haven’t won since their famous 7-0 hammering of Manchester United at the beginning of March, being defeated by AFC Bournemouth and Real Madrid and Jurgen Klopp would surely have preferred a slightly less arduous task in order to get his side's confidence back up heading into the final few weeks of the season.
There will be plenty of changes from the defeat to the La Liga side, with Klopp switching things up in order to give his team the best possible chance of securing a crucial three points.
As such, we at Football FanCast have predicted the Liverpool starting XI that will take to the Etihad pitch this afternoon.
What will Liverpool’s XI look like against Manchester City?
4-3-3 – Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Elliott, Henderson, Fabinho; Salah, Gakpo, Nunez
Alisson will of course start in goal, making his 28th consecutive start in the league this term, and he will be aiming to keep just his tenth clean sheet.
The back four will remain unchanged from the Champions League loss a couple of weeks ago. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will take up their usual positions on the right and left-hand side of the defence, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate forming the core of the defence.
The midfield three will comprise Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Harvey Elliott, with Klopp making a couple of changes. Elliott – valued at €33.1m (£29m) by Football Transfers – will be looked upon to try and add something different to the midfield. Football writer Leanne Prescott lavished praise on him earlier this season, saying: “No matter where he is on the pitch, he makes things happen" – suggesting that the Englishman could make the difference.
Mohamed Salah and Darwen Nunez will likely flank striker Cody Gakpo, who returns to a central berth following a midfield appearance against Madrid. This will mean Diogo Jota drops to the bench having looked "sloppy" against Los Blancos, according to GOAL's Neil Jones, as Klopp deploys his strongest starting XI available to him.
The 55-year-old will be aiming to defeat City for the third time this campaign – including in the Community Shield – and if this team plays to their very best, then they have a wonderful chance of achieving this.