The world champions Liverpool will now turn their attention to the Premier League – a trophy that has eluded them for over two decades.
They will travel to Leicester on Boxing day where a victory against Brendan Rodgers’ side would almost eliminate the Foxes out of the title race.
Leicester suffered a 3-1 defeat against Manchester City last Saturday and it ensured Jurgen Klopp’s side held on to a 10-point lead at the top despite playing a game less. Therefore, the game provides a good opportunity to further extend the lead and put them in a commanding position in the title race.
The Reds played till extra time against Flamengo and Klopp could rotate his selection once again in order to avoid any fatigue during the festive schedule.
Ahead of the match, the big news coming from the Liverpool camp is that midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has suffered an ankle ligament damage that will rule him out for the year.
He is not only out of the trip to Leicester but also is expected to miss a significant long run of games, as he recovers from another major injury setback in his Liverpool career.
Fabinho, Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren are also out on the sidelines and will miss the clash as well.
However, Gini Wijnaldum, who did not come on over the course of the 120 minutes in Doha, is fit again and should be looking to reclaim his place in midfield.
This is a huge game for Liverpool, considering what the victory could mean in the context of the title race, and it is highly likely that Klopp will name a strong Reds side for the trip to King Power.
Alisson is in fine form and he should start behind a back four of Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
With Jordan Henderson operating as a holding midfielder and Wijnaldum returning, Klopp could start with Keita whose boisterous energy would provide the perfect balance in midfield.
Ideally, Klopp would have liked to rotate his front three and especially give a breather to Mohamed Salah who played all but every minute in Qatar. However, the Egyptian is expected to start in this crucial game alongside Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
Predicted Liverpool starting line-up: Alisson; Robertson, Gomez, Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Keita; Salah, Mane, Firmino.
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