The Premier League‘s gruelling festive period continues for Liverpool as they travel to Burnley on Boxing Day, with injuries impacting Jurgen Klopp‘s selection.
Unfortunately for Klopp, his ability to make sweeping changes is being compromised by a growing injury list.
As such, there are likely to be very few tweaks to the starting XI that runs out at Turf Moor.
Klopp’s back five largely picks itself, with Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk all retaining their places from the draw with Arsenal.
At left-back, Joe Gomez is certain to come in for the injured Kostas Tsimikas after impressing in that position against the Gunners.
Alexis Mac Allister is not expected back yet, meaning Wataru Endo is likely to continue in holding midfield in Lancashire.
But there could be tweaks ahead of him to freshen things up, with Ryan Gravenberch and Harvey Elliott in contention for starts to give rests to Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai.
In attack, it seems certain that Darwin Nunez will return after only featuring from the bench against Arsenal, but it remains to be seen who he will replace.
He could have Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz either side of him, with Cody Gakpo dropping out as a result, but there is a big question mark over the Colombian’s fitness.
Though Klopp explained that the “physios were not too concerned” after Diaz was taken off with a knee issue on Saturday, it was immediately strapped with ice and the manager did add “you never know.”
If the decision is taken not to risk the No. 7 from the start, Nunez should take his place on the left with Gakpo retained up front.
Predicted Liverpool XI vs Burnley: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Endo, Elliott, Gravenberch; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
