How Liverpool could line up against Fulham

Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how Liverpool could line up for Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final second leg with Fulham.

Liverpool have welcomed an injured Mohamed Salah back to Anfield ahead of the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Wednesday.

The Egypt international picked up a muscular injury while competing at the Africa Cup of Nations, and his country’s FA confirmed on Sunday that he was back in England to undergo a period of treatment.

While Salah could potentially return for the semi-finals next month, should Egypt fail to make it to the final four, his AFCON campaign may have already come to a premature end.

In any case, Salah will not be available for the trip south, where Liverpool need only draw to advance to the final owing to their 2-1 first-leg success, and nor will Thiago Alcantara (hip), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Joel Matip (ACL), Ben Doak (knee), Wataru Endo (international), Kostas Tsimikas (collarbone), Trent Alexander-Arnold (knee) or Andrew Robertson (shoulder).

A late check will also need to be made on Dominik Szoboszlai (thigh), while Curtis Jones was an enforced withdrawal in the dying embers of the weekend’s beating of Bournemouth due to a similar issue, leaving Klopp down to the bare bones in midfield.

Neither Szoboszlai nor Jones have been ruled out of the second leg just yet, but with Klopp adopting a cautious approach over the duo, an engine room of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott should take to the field.

Elliott occupied the right-wing spot in the first leg, but match-winner Cody Gakpo could now force his way into the attacking line alongside the two-goal heroes from the weekend’s 4-0 beating of Bournemouth, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.

Luis Diaz would have to be content with a spot on the bench in that case, but the defensive wall of Conor Bradley, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Alisson Becker should remain untouched.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Elliott, Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Gakpo, Jota, Nunez

ID:534582:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4961:No Data Analysis info