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Pre Match - Porto (A) - CL - Tuesday 20:00

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Brizzle

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Straight back to it. Doesn’t feel like we have many options or needs to change here. All eyes for me are on City, so perhaps limit VVD / Matips workload in this. Mane should sit this out too, he’s been very patchy and it gives Bobby a chance to get sharp.

Ali

Trent
Konate
VVD
Tsimikas

Fabinho
Millie
Jones

Salah
Bobby
Jota
 
Alisson Trent Konate Gomez Tsimikas Fab Ox Jones Salah Firmino Minamino

Porto 1-2 Liverpool
 
I can't see us not rotating, 3 games in a week and City is THE match ... especially after failing to win yesterday and winning the first match in this group to go 2 pts clear. It gives us a tiny bit of wriggle room. There's an outside chance of Keita being fit for City, not Thiago though. It's impossible (or it should be!) to not consider these two games in tandem.

So thinking about City first this may be the team, the only positions in question are Firmino vs Jota for 'CF' and Mane vs Jota wide left. I think Klopp will go with Firmino & Mane for their better tracking/pressing (though Jota does look to be improving in this area) :

........................ Becker

TAA ...... Matip ........... VvD .......... Robbo (though at this moment in time I'd prefer Tsimikas but Klopp won't)

........................ Fabinho

........... Hendo .................. Jones

Salah .............. Firmino .................. Mane

The minutes from Brentford : All 95 mins except Jones (68) & Firmino (27) so the pair could play against both City & Porto.

So for Porto I'd go (and I hope Klopp does too, the only doubts I have are up front but we can't keep playing Mo & Mane without a rest/rotation) :

.......................... Becker

TAA ...... Konate ........... Gomez .......... Tsimikas

......................... Fabinho (I'd love to rest him but even I would have major doubts playing Morton in this game)

........... Milner .................. Ox.

Jota .............. Firmino ................. Origi


Bring on Mo/Mane/Hendo only if we really need them. The above means only Ali, TAA and Fabs will have to play 3 games in a week. And I think Ali and TAA can all handle it comfortably. Fabs not so sure but we're hopefully in a position to sub both he and TAA off for 20-30 mins less than a full game.

Note : just a mention on our injury list (4 players). There are only 8 teams in the PL that have less injuries than we do so we really have no place to moan.
 
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This has dropping points written all over it.

Unleash mini and divock and hope for the best
 
We aint losing to Porto, good side with some decent players but we'll get a draw at the worst.
 
I think Klopp would take the 0-0 if it was offered

Ali
Gomez Konate Virg Tsimikas
Fab
Milner Minamino
Mane Firmino Origi

Would be my choice but I expect Trent and Salah to play
 
I can't decide if I want Kostas to play here or against city.

Robbo has the work rate for city, but Kostas is much more of a set piece threat
 
If we were to pick one of the games in the group to lose, it'd be this one, as long as we go out and beat City. Obviously would love to win and be fairly close to qualifying, but City...
 
Yep - total focus has to be on City. We have the squad players to beat Porto but need to be at our best for City.
 
Sometimes resting your players for a big game has an opposite effect - they lose a bit of rhythm and in a game of fine margins it can be crucial. I think at this point Klopp should know which players could do with a rest and which need to keep playing to be at their sharpest.

Trent is definitely in the latter camp - he always takes a few games to find his passing touch after an injury or any kind of layoff. Yesterday he was laying bricks. He definitely needs another game to hopefully recover his form by the time we play City.
 
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I really worry about this hectic schedule. One or two injuries and it feels like we don't have alot of room for manoeuvre, particularly in midfield and attack.
 
The team for Porto will have been picked ahead of the Brentford shit-show, but I still suspect we'll see a decent amount of rotation. The way we beat City is by pressing them like maniacs and blitzing them in the first half. We also cannot let players of the calibre of Konate and Gomez not get decent game time, so I suspect they will come in. Tsimikas, too, deserves a start.


-------------------Alisson--------------------
--Trent--Konate---Gomez--Tsimikas----
-----------------Fabinho------------------
--Hendo/Milner------Jones---------
----Salah--------Origi-----------Mane

Wouldn't be surprise if Milner comes in.

Swap out Salah and Mane at first opportunity to preserve legs for City. Given the need to rotate, injuries, and recent demanding schedule, an away draw would be absolutely sound.
 
I really worry about this hectic schedule. One or two injuries and it feels like we don't have alot of room for manoeuvre, particularly in midfield and attack.
Haven't we felt like this for about 5 years?

For some reason Klopp prefers working with a small squad...whether that improves the coherence of the team who knows.
 
I think Matip and VVD could do with a bit of a rest after that physical test against the Brentford forwards - I was afraid Van Dijk was going to get hurt when he was tackling at full stretch and exertion to save us from Toney winning the game late on. No reason young players of the quality of Konate and Gomez should rot on the bench either. Trent definitely needs to play; as for Robbo his elite crossing ability seems to have all but disappeared and I’m not sure what the solution is, but I guess Tsimikas should start vs Porto.

In midfield, Fabinho-Milner-Jones looks to be the only viable option (Hendo should rest up before he runs a marathon vs City), but I’d really love to see Morton at some point. Salah never needs rest (just sub him after 60-70 mins), Firmino needs game time to regain sharpness and I would try Minamino on the LW in this game (Origi and maybe Jota can come in off the bench).

-------------------Alisson--------------------
————-Konate---Gomez-————-
Trent-——----Fabinho----------Tsimikas
————-Milner------Jones-------———
----Salah------Firmino------Minamino—
 
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I'd be happy to see Konate & Gomez out again, we need to manage the workload of Virg & Joel at the best of times, even more so ahead of a huge game against City.
 
If we were to pick one of the games in the group to lose, it'd be this one, as long as we go out and beat City. Obviously would love to win and be fairly close to qualifying, but City...

I don't think we can afford to lose this one.

Porto got a draw away to Madrid. And should have won. They're supposed to be the 3rd best team in this group. We need at least a draw in this one.
 
Thought Klopp said, or was it Ljinders that Naby was defo out for Porto in last presser?

What a recovery, must've taken some real magical work from our physios to sort that 1....can't imagine the pain kicking a turf can do..luckily it wasn't on a cold wet Tuesday night in Stoke.
 
Naby is back in training today, so I'm guessing he could start tomorrow aswell if all goes well.
Good news. He was pretty much a de facto midfield starter (until Thiago returned/s) and I expect that's what he'll be again. If he is back in training I'd expect 20-30 mins tomorrow and to start against City alongside Fabs & Hendo.
 
Trent hasnt travelled with the squad. Lets hope he’s ready for the City game
 
I think Klopp stuck a whoopy cushion on his plane seat and Trent stormed off and refused as a result of a prank gone too far.

I could be wrong though.
 
I really worry about this hectic schedule. One or two injuries and it feels like we don't have alot of room for manoeuvre, particularly in midfield and attack.

Almost as if we shouldn't have been such misery arses and signed a midfielder and a forward. We can have no complaints if things go pear-shaped if our lack of depth in key areas becomes an issue.
 
Its good to see we aren't scared to leave players behind. Trent will be firing for City. I imagine that means Millie at RB, which is a shame as I think we need him in CM to let others rotate out, but i recall that Neco is injured and it is probably a game too far for Bradley.
 
Luis Diaz is probably their most potent threat out on that left but seeing as Milner did better than I thought against Palace at RB I won't mind it too much.

Still putting 150 grand on him getting booked though.
 
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