Liverpool suffered their first defeat of their preseason when Chelsea defeated them 1-0 in Pasadena on Wednesday, they will now take on AC Milan, following which they will face AS Roma on 1st August in St Louis. Except the match against Chelsea, Liverpool have won the previous four friendlies with a combined aggregate of 10-0. Jurgen Klopp has brought in a host of quality players, who have definitely raised the performance level of the team. Sadio Mane and Wijnaldum have been the two expensive buys of the summer and given their price tag, one would feel they will be certain starters next season.
However, Klopp suffered a fatal blow this week when £4.7m summer signing from Mainz Loris Karius broke his hand in a clash with his own defender Dejan Lovren, defending a corner in Wednesday’s defeat to Chelsea. He will be expected to be out for at least 10 weeks, which will see him turning to Simon Mignolet. Liverpool will begin their Premier League campaign on August 14th against Arsenal at the Emirates. Here is the predicted Liverpool lineup that could face AS Roma on 1st August.
Goalkeeper: Simon Mignolet
With Karius injured with a broken hand, it will Liverpool’s number one keeper Mignolet who will take his place between the sticks. The Belgian international didn’t have the best of seasons last time out and therefore needs to step up, in order to make his place in Klopp’s team permanent.
Defenders: Connor Randall, Dejan Lovren, Alberto Moreno and Ragnar Klavan
With most of his first team players back in training Klopp will have the freedom to freely choose his starting XI. Randall has been excellent this summer, he was brilliant at keeping Moses quiet on Wednesday and should keep his place in the side on 1st. Mamadou Sakho has been sent home and new signing Joel Matip is nursing a small injury, therefore it will be Dejan Lovren in the centre alongside Klavan. With no other real options at left-back, Klopp will have to go again with Moreno.
Midfielders: Henderson, Stewart, Mane, Coutinho and Wijnaldum
Henderson started the match against Chelsea on the bench but came on in the second half, although he didn’t have much impact. Klopp will be pleased to see his captain back on the pitch and might be tempted to give him a start on 1st as he looks to find his feet. Henderson will partner 22-year-old Stewart. New summer signing Mane will start on the right wing while Wijnaldum should start on the opposite wing. Mane has done well and shown glimpses of what he can achieve in years to come. Brazilian midfielder Coutinho should start in the number 10 role, where he is most lethal.
Striker: Firmino
With Benteke and Daniel Sturridge still on their way to full match fitness, we could against Firmino lining up to lead the attack. He had a very inconsistent first season at Anfield but still has a lot of quality in his play.