Liverpool confirm 19-man squad for Champions League trip to Salzburg
by This Is AnfieldDejan Lovren and Gini Wijnaldum have been included in Liverpool’s 19-man squad for their final Champions League group game at Salzburg.
The Reds need a point at least to seal a last-16 spot, while a win guarantees top spot.
They’ll have to do without Fabinho and Joel Matip, who were already injured, while Adam Lallana will miss the match too after picking up a knock before the weekend.
With Wijnaldum and Lovren back, Jurgen Klopp still has a strong squad to pick from, though there will be decisions to take at centre-back and in central midfield, in particular.
Curtis Jones is included in the squad, however, and the young midfielder will be on the bench for the second game in succession, with third-choice goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher the travelling player who will not be in the matchday squad.
Klopp needs to choose between Lovren and Joe Gomez to partner Virgil van Dijk, and decide who will play in midfield after good recent performances from a host of players.
In attack, too, each of the three first-choice names have had a recent rest, while Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri both impressed against Everton.
The smart money might be on a strongest-possible lineup after recent rotations, meaning Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane all start, with Wijnaldum coming back into midfield alongside either Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Naby Keita, with Jordan Henderson deepest.
Klopp’s men simply need to get the job done here, to continue the defence of their Champions League crown and move into the knockout stages where we have been so strong over the last two years.
Liverpool squad travelling to Salzburg
Goalkeepers: Alisson, Adrian, Kelleher
Defenders: Van Dijk, Gomez, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren
Midfielders: Henderson, Wijnaldum, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita, Jones
Forwards: Firmino, Mane, Salah, Origi, Shaqiri