AliousLiverpool faces a significant challenge with a rapid turnaround between their matches against Bologna and Crystal Palace. This situation puts head coach Arne Slot in a position where he must carefully consider his team selection, potentially leading to recalls for players like Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota.
The tight schedule sees Liverpool playing Crystal Palace at 12:30pm (7:30am EST) today, following their Wednesday evening fixture. This compressed timeframe presents a notable challenge for the team’s preparation and recovery.
In terms of player availability, Harvey Elliott is the only confirmed absence. Federico Chiesa, who missed the 2-0 victory against Bologna earlier in the week, remains a question mark. Slot was noncommittal about Chiesa’s status during his Friday press conference, stating, “Wait and see. He didn’t train for the last two days. Even if he can train, I still have a decision to make whether he will play or not as I can only choose a certain amount of players.” This statement suggests that Chiesa is unlikely to start, if he plays at all.
To predict Slot’s starting lineup, it’s instructive to look at the team’s recent match against Bournemouth, which followed a Champions League fixture. This game saw the most changes to the lineup outside of the Carabao Cup match against West Ham. Against Bournemouth, four changes were made, one of which was forced due to an injury to goalkeeper Alisson Becker, necessitating Caoimhín Kelleher to step in.
The other changes for the Bournemouth game involved replacing Kostas Tsimikas, Cody Gakpo, and Diogo Jota with Andy Robertson, Luis Diaz, and Darwin Nunez respectively. Interestingly, Robertson, Diaz, and Nunez all started in the recent Bologna match, making the Bologna lineup (except for Alisson) identical to the one that faced Bournemouth.
This pattern raises the question of whether Tsimikas, Gakpo, and Jota might be in line for a start against Crystal Palace. All three, along with Conor Bradley and Curtis Jones, came off the bench in the previous match, suggesting they wouldn’t be entirely unprepared if called upon to start. This rotation strategy might be Slot’s approach to managing his squad through the demanding schedule of weekend and midweek matches, giving potential starters some playing time in the preceding game.
Despite these considerations, much of the lineup seems predictable given the team’s current form. Slot has become the first Liverpool manager to win eight of his first nine matches, indicating that a significant portion of the team is performing at a high level and likely to retain their starting positions.
The predicted Liverpool lineup for the Crystal Palace match is as follows: Alisson in goal; a defense of Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, and Robertson; a midfield comprising Gravenberch and Mac Allister; and an attack featuring Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, and Jota.
This situation highlights the challenges of squad management in modern football, where balancing player fitness, form, and tactical considerations becomes crucial, especially during periods of congested fixtures.
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