Liverpool XI vs Nottingham Forest with 5 changes and Jones decision as Liverpool return to the front three of Salah, Diaz and Gakpo…

Liverpool’s Anticipated Lineup Against Nottingham Forest – Featuring 10 Changes and a Decision on Jones

With a nearly fully fit squad, Arne Slot faces some advantageous selection dilemmas as he readies Liverpool for their Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.

Any sense of complacency following the Reds’ previous encounter with Forest in September, which marked their sole league defeat this season, has likely been dispelled ahead of this match.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side has been a revelation this season, currently sitting third in the league standings at the season’s midpoint.

After utilizing an FA Cup match against Accrington Stanley to rest several key players, Slot is expected to deploy what resembles his strongest XI at the City Ground.

Here’s a potential lineup for Liverpool.

Players unavailable for Liverpool include:

Darwin Nunez, who is serving a suspension after accumulating five yellow cards in the league this season.

Joe Gomez is still “quite far” from a return, as noted by Slot, and is “not yet training with the team.”

Most of the starting lineup can be inferred from the players who did not participate against Accrington Stanley.

None of Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister, or Luis Diaz featured on Saturday, while Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Mo Salah, and Cody Gakpo were also absent from the squad.

Thus, it is reasonable to expect all these players to start against Forest.

The primary uncertainty revolves around Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Although Jones was rested during the FA Cup match, Szoboszlai’s strong performance, coupled with Jones’s recent dip in form, has led many to believe the Hungarian should reclaim his spot in the lineup.

Diogo Jota is another contender for a starting position.

However, considering he played the full 90 minutes against Accrington Stanley, it seems improbable that he will be included in the starting XI on Tuesday.

Here are Slot’s probable selection choices:

Jones replaces Szoboszlai in the lineup after being rested on Saturday. Robertson continues to favor his position, keeping Kostas Tsimikas out of the squad despite the Greek’s impressive performance in the FA Cup.

Liverpool reverts to the attacking trio of Salah, Diaz, and Gakpo, which previously faced Manchester United.

The anticipated Liverpool lineup is as follows:

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo.

While there were several standout performances against Accrington Stanley, it is unlikely that any of those players will feature against Nottingham Forest.

This upcoming match presents a significantly higher level of competition and will be played with greater intensity.

Although the game will take place at the City Ground, Liverpool is expected to dominate possession and will need to exert considerable effort to penetrate the hosts’ defense.

Jones may be more effective in this role than Szoboszlai, but Liverpool certainly felt the absence of the No. 8’s dynamic running against Manchester United and Tottenham.

Whoever Slot chooses will face a challenging evening in the East Midlands.