“Tasmanian devil” one of 10 changes in predicted Liverpool lineup vs LASK

If Liverpool defeats LASK and other results go their way, they can confirm their entry into the Europa League knockout stages.

On Thursday night, when LASK visits Anfield, Liverpool can guarantee their spot in the Europa League round of 16.

As things stand, Jurgen Klopp’s team will not need to play two more games in order to finish second and advance to the knockout stage. They lead Toulouse by two points, and they need to win four of their final two games to secure the group title.

In order to give his starting players a break and rotate his team, Klopp has taken advantage of this competition. A number of young people have been given the opportunity to shine as a result, including Ben Doak, Jarell Quansah, and Harvey Elliott.

Here’s what a predicted Liverpool starting lineup might look like tomorrow night, with the aforementioned trio likely to be three of ten changes from the team’s recent draw with Manchester City.

Kelleher has participated in three of Liverpool’s four Europa League games this season. Despite giving up five goals, he hasn’t exactly made an impression on the world, but his spot in the starting lineup against LASK is assured.

Alisson Becker, Klopp’s first choice goalkeeper, suffered a hamstring injury in the draw with Manchester City. The 25-year-old needs to perform well in Europe going forward, especially if the Brazilian is sidelined for an extended amount of time.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, the hero of Etihad, will be covered in cotton wool on Thursday, so Joe Gomez ought to start at right back. The Englishman captained the team in their most recent 3-2 loss to Toulouse and has appeared in all four of this competition’s games.

Gomez, who was once dubbed a “sensational footballer” by Klopp, has proven to be a dependable backup this season. Although he lacks Trent’s offensive threat, he makes up for it defensively, making 2.5 tackles per game and winning 63% of his duels in Europe.

Ibrahima Konate, a man-mountain of a center back who has missed several games this season due to injury, has the opportunity to prove to Klopp that he is a superior choice than Joel Matip to anchor Liverpool’s defense.

The Frenchman, praised as “incredible” by defensive partner Virgil van Dijk, is highly regarded at Anfield. Considering that he ranks in the top 15% of positional peers for tackles per 90 across Europe’s top five leagues in the previous year, it is easy to understand why those close to him have waxed poetic about his abilities.

This season, Quansah has adjusted into the Liverpool first team with ease. The 20-year-old has impressed with his outstanding ball-playing skills and defensive qualities.

Alexander-Arnold, a fellow academy graduate, praised the center-back as “absolutely phenomenal” after seeing him play well in three games in Europe. He has an impressive 91% pass completion rate and is only dribbled past 0.3 times per game. If Quansah keeps up his current level of performance, the world is truly his oyster.

Kostas Tsimikas will continue to fill in for the Scottish left-back Andrew Robertson on the left side of defense until the latter returns from his shoulder injury in January 2024. Tsimikas is the only player who has kept his spot from the trip to the Etihad.

The Greek international, who has only made 0.7 crucial passes per game in three European games, is unable to match Robertson’s skill down the left flank. He has also failed to create a significant opportunity.

Wataru Endo will have another opportunity to show off his skills on Thursday night, but he hasn’t really made an impression since joining from Stuttgart in the summer.

The expectation was that the Japanese international would replace Fabinho as the ball-winning machine, but Klopp has chosen Alexis Mac Allister to fill that role. He has participated in four competitions, so it is unlikely that he will be benched against LASK.

After contributing an assist and two goals in his first three games for Liverpool, Ryan Gravenberch was beginning to show his true potential while wearing the red shirt. This was especially true in the Europa League.

The 21-year-old didn’t start on Saturday due to a minor injury he sustained later in the week, but despite that, he has averaged the highest Sofascore rating (7.97) of any Reds player in this competition, made the most crucial passes per game (3), and created the most big chances (2).

Jamie Carragher has called Harvey Elliott “exceptional” for his performances this term; however, he hasn’t received the necessary game time to justify the compliment. On Thursday night, he will have another audition.

With his incredible low center of gravity, the midfield virtuoso, who has started all four Europa League games, has terrified opposing defenders. In this competition, he completed 75% of his attempted dribbles, demonstrating his ability to effortlessly glide past his opponents.

Ben Doak, one of the most exciting prospects to emerge from the Liverpool academy in recent years, is one of many unintended benefits of Thursday excursions to unusual locations.

A direct and quick winger, Doak has been called a “Tasmanian devil” by van Dijk for his ability to terrorize opposing defenders. His early abilities have earned him two appearances in Europe, and a third is looking likely.

It is amazing that Luis Diaz has been able to concentrate on giving outstanding performances on the field despite everything that he has had to go through off the field this term due to his father’s kidnapping; the father has since been released.

Klopp referred to Diaz as a “special” talent. He scored and provided an assist in the rematch against LASK, and now he’ll be looking to terrorize his opponents in Austria once more.

The man expected to lead Liverpool’s attack is Cody Gakpo. After seeing his playing time cut this season, the Dutch powerhouse has the opportunity to showcase his skills in Europe and convince the German that he should be chosen over Darwin Nunez or Diogo Jota.

In just 15 games this season, Gakpo has managed just four goals, two of which came in Carabao Cup wins over Bournemouth and Leicester City.

Complete Liverpool lineup for their match against LASK is as follows: GK: Kelleher; RB: Gomez; CB: Konate; CB: Quansah; LB: Tsimikas; CDM: Endo; CM: Gravenberch; CM: Elliott; RW: Doak; LW: Diaz; ST: Gakpo