Liverpool travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the Premier League on Monday night.
After successive draws to Fulham and Crystal Palace, Liverpool are still waiting for their maiden three points of the new campaign. The last time the Reds failed to win any of their opening three Premier League fixtures was back in 2012/13, Brendan Rodgers’ first season at the helm.
Here’s the XI Jurgen Klopp may deploy to avoid the slow start of his predecessor.
GK: Alisson – Brazil’s number one has kept five Premier League clean sheets in eight meetings with Manchester United – his highest tally against any club.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – It brought a snigger, but the boyhood Liverpool fan insisted to Sky Sports that he would rather retire than play for Manchester United. Fortunately for those of an Anfield persuasion, neither outcome seems likely in the immediate future.
CB: Nat Phillips – Drafted into the lineup after just one training session last Monday, Phillips may be called upon again while Joel Matip’s recovery continues.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – During a time when he “looked death in the eye” after his appendix burst as a 17-year-old, Van Dijk drew strength from Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’.
LB: Andrew Robertson – A decade ago this month, Robertson tweeted: “life at this age is rubbish with no money #needajob.” A few things have changed in the intervening years.
CM: Jordan Henderson – Liverpool’s skipper has made more goalless appearances against Manchester United than any other club in his career (27).
CM: Fabinho – The former Monaco and (briefly) Real Madrid man has scored 24 of his last 25 penalties but plays second fiddle to Mohamed Salah with Liverpool’s spot kicks.
CM: James Milner – When Milner first faced Manchester United as a 17-year-old in March 2003, his clubmate Harvey Elliott hadn’t even been born yet.
RW: Harvey Elliott – Despite making his debut in the competition three years ago, the teenage prodigy has only ever made five Premier League starts.
ST: Mohamed Salah – The scorer of five Premier League goals against Manchester United alone last season delivered a cutting, but hardly controversial, assessment of his opponents: “They make our life easier.”
LW: Luis Diaz – Liverpool’s saviour against Palace scored the equaliser which ensures he is yet to lose a Premier League game (W11 D4).