Liverpool lineup vs. Southampton: 2 key decisions made already?

The international break has been relatively kind to Liverpool as it has given some of Arne Slot‘s injury absentees time to recover and return to training.

With Games against Real Madrid and Man City, followed by Newcastle and Everton, Liverpool have a difficult couple of weeks ahead.

As the Reds know, though, the first opponent on the list are Russell Martin’s Southampton, a team Slot described as “a joy to watch” and “very difficult for the teams that are in the top three, four and five.”

With that in mind, don’t be expecting Liverpool to be resting players ahead of their midweek clash with Madrid.

Team news

Here’s what Slot revealed in his press conference:

• Virgil van Dijk is “all good” to play
• Alisson and Diogo Jota won’t be available against Southampton or Madrid
• Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss Sunday’s match and is a doubt vs. Madrid
• Harvey Elliott is back in team training and could be in the squad at St Mary’s
• Federico Chiesa won’t be involved on Sunday but is returning to partial team training

Liverpool’s XI vs. Southampton

As Slot said on Friday, the only factors affecting his team selection are “the playing style of Southampton, the players coming back from South America [and] how fit they are, the injuries we have and the players coming back.”

Given the head coach’s mention of Liverpool’s South American internationals, it would be a good bet to suggest Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz won’t feature from the start.

This becomes even more likely when you consider Diaz’s alternatives, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez, enjoyed a lighter workload slightly lighter than usual over the last couple of weeks – Gakpo playing 92 minutes and Nunez 135.

Andy Robertson is another who could be replaced in the starting XI, having played two more intense Games as Scotland captain.

Kostas Tsimikas is younger, played fewer minutes and has proved himself a very able deputy this campaign.

Here is how Liverpool will likely line up:

• Caoimhin Kelleher starts in goal as Alisson is still not fit to start
• Conor Bradley starts at right-back due to Alexander-Arnold’s hamstring injury
• Nunez plays up front with Mo Salah to his right and Gakpo to his left

This is how Liverpool would line up:

Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo

Of course, while the early signs are that Liverpool’s South Americans will start on the bench, Slot may decide they are fit enough to play from the beginning.

This could see the exclusion of Nunez, with Diaz having proved himself a good option through the middle with Gakpo to his left.

Though unlikely, in this scenario Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai would be the two candidates to play alongside Mac Allister and Gravenberch in midfield.

• Ibrahima Konate and Van Dijk start together for a 11th consecutive Premier League match
• Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai reform the midfield trio that served Liverpool well in the early part of the season
• Salah starts on the right with fresh legs after not being called up for Egypt’s latest squad

Here’s how this alternate team would look:

Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo

Whichever side Slot decides to put out, they will be met with resistance by Southampton who lost just 1-0 at Man City in late October and 1-0 at Newcastle in August.

While the Reds do have a good recent record at St Mary’s – Liverpool have won four of their last six matches there – they haven’t actually kept a clean sheet in their last five league visits.

With Van Dijk and Konate in brilliant form, though, Slot’s team will be confident of keeping the Saints out this time around.