Liverpool’s controversy-littered defeat at Tottenham has given Jurgen Klopp a number of extra problems to contend with this month. The Reds face Union Saint-Gilloise and Brighton this week before the international break with matches against Everton, Toulouse and Nottingham Forest all coming before October is over.
The three-goal Gakpo will miss at least the first two fixtures of that run with an injury sustained at Spurs. Meanwhile Curtis Jones will miss Brighton, Everton and Forest due to a three-match ban which has been upheld despite an appeal.
Jota will also be unavailable at Brighton after two yellow cards saw him sent off at the weekend. An extra problem, with another two Europa League group stage games to come, is Stefan Bajcetic’s injury setback. Klopp confirmed last week: “We have to be really careful. We have to take him out a little bit. He can work on pretty much everything else, but not play.”
And Klopp will have to bear all of those things in mind when picking his team to host Belgian Pro League leaders USG tomorrow night. In fact, his starting line-up picks itself in most areas. As with the win at LASK in Austria last month, Caoimhin Kelleher will start in goal over Alisson.
At right-back, it is an opportunity for Trent Alexander-Arnold – back from injury – to start his first match since the win over Aston Villa a month ago. Curtis Jones started at right-back against Leicester in the Carabao Cup a week ago with Joe Gomez having also stood in for the vice-captain in the league.
Alexander-Arnold is the likely starter at Brighton this Sunday and so could do with minutes for rhythm before then. In central defence, Jarell Quansah should be trusted alongside one of Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk. Konate may get the nod given he and the teenager fared well together against Leicester.
Kostas Tsimikas will complete the defence. In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch and Harvey Elliott are once again deserving of starts to give Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai some rest. They both started in the League Cup last week.
With Jones unable to play another match for Liverpool until October 26 after Thursday night, he may be the third starter in midfield. Wataru Endo is the likeliest player to replace him at Brighton and so may have to settle for a cameo off the bench here to ensure he’s fit to start on Sunday.
Up front, like Jones, Jota being absent for the weekend means he is surely in the frame to start here. The Portuguese will hope to make amends for his silly second yellow with a clinical display. He could start on the left to give Luis Diaz the night off. Diaz, cruelly denied a goal against Spurs, has been the fifth most-used outfield player so far this season.
With Gakpo unavailable, Darwin Nunez should start through the middle. On the right, Mohamed Salah showed he is a class above in this competition at LASK but Ben Doak is expected to get another chance to impress despite the Egyptian coming off early at Spurs. Without Gakpo, Salah and Diaz will then be the artillery off the bench alongside Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and the young Bobby Clark.
Predicted Liverpool XI vs USG: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Quansah, Tsimikas; Jones, Elliott, Gravenberch; Doak, Nunez, Jota
