Liverpool bagged both domestic trophies last season so they will begin their 2022/23 campaign with a game against Manchester City for the Community Shield.
The Reds have had a very mixed transfer market wherein they have managed to bring in a player like Darwin Nunez but at the same time, they have lost Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich.
Most people view the Community Shield as part of pre-season preparations but with Manchester City on the other side, there’s no way Jurgen Klopp is going to take this one lightly.
Ideally, the Liverpool manager will want to make a few changes here and there so he can test his squad’s bench strength but that might not be possible because the Anfield outfit have a series of injury concerns.
It’s very hard to predict exactly how Jurgen Klopp is going to set up his side but one thing’s for sure, the German is not going to make life easy for Manchester City. The Reds have had a mixed pre-season wherein they have lost to the like Man United and Salzburg so the players will be looking to get their record straight by lifting the Community Shield.
Liverpool team news and possible rotations:
The first major blow for Jurgen Klopp will be in the form of Alisson Becker who is going to miss out due to an abdominal issue. There had been rumours that the keeper could be fit in time but the manager has set the record straight.
Liverpool training views in Austria ⛰️ pic.twitter.com/zYJ4ACbAh4
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 28, 2022
Diogo Jota is another player who is going to be an absentee due to a hamstring injury.
“No, Alisson and Diogo have no [chance]. Ali trained today more than the day before so he will be definitely available for Fulham, but not for the weekend,” the manager said earlier this week.
“And the same for Diogo. Diogo was not here with us so how could he play a football game? That will take a while unfortunately. That’s it.”
The No 1 spot will be a bit of a concern for the manager because Calvin Ramsay and Caoimhin Kelleher are also out injured which means Adrian will have to start in between the sticks.
Tsimikas and Oxlade-Chamberlain are also going to miss out because both the players have picked up knocks during training.
Roberto Firmino has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus but right now there are no signs of him leaving so the Brazilian is going to challenge summer signing Darwin Nunez for the centre-forward’s role.
What a night @LFC! 🫶🏽
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/LQHgm0WGIA
— Darwin Núñez (@Darwinn99) July 21, 2022
We doubt if Nunez is going to be given the full 90 minutes so Firmino is likely to come on in the second half.
All these injuries and knocks mean Jurgen Klopp will not have the luxury to make too many changes to his starting line up which means several of the starters will have to play the full 90 minutes.
Liverpool predicted line up vs Man City:
Goalkeeper: Adrian.
Defenders: Alexander-Arnold, Matip/Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson.
Midfielders: Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago.
Attackers: Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diaz.
