Liverpool could finish the weekend as Premier League champions should they beat Leicester City on Sunday afternoon at the King Power Stadium.
The Reds will be guaranteed top spot and their second Premier League title should Ipswich beat Arsenal earlier in the day – admittedly an unlikely possibility – and they triumph in the East Midlands. Regardless of the outcome at Portman Road, Liverpool will relegate Leicester by avoiding defeat to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s strugglers.
It’s only a matter of time before Arne Slot’s side clinch the crown but they will be excited to wrap up first place as swiftly as possible. There can be no resting on their laurels against the dire Foxes this weekend.
Here is how Liverpool could line up at the King Power.
GK: Alisson – Liverpool welcomed their first-choice stopper back into the starting lineup last time out and the Brazilian proved his worth once again, making some significant stops to deny West Ham United at Anfield.
RB: Conor Bradley – With Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez still injured, Liverpool have been relieved to see Bradley return from injury over the past two matches. The Northern Irishman has an enormous opportunity to impress ahead of Alexander-Arnold’s seemingly inevitable exit.
CB: Ibrahima Konate – One of Leicester’s few attacking threats is Jamie Vardy and the 38-year-old may aim to isolate the weaker of two incredibly talented centre-backs in Konate. The veteran Foxes forward has ten goals in 17 games against the Reds.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – Van Dijk nodded home Liverpool’s late winner against West Ham and followed that by announcing his new contract on Thursday. He’s sure to receive an incredible reception from the away supporters at the King Power.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas – Tsimikas was far from convincing last weekend but given Andy Robertson scored a calamitous own goal upon replacing the Greece international, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him start again.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch – Bilal El Khannous is one of Leicester’s few technicians in the final third and Gravenberch will have to stifle the 20-year-old. He struggled to do the same to Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta last Sunday.
DM: Alexis Mac Allister – Liverpool supporters will have been pleased to hear Mac Allister’s father rebuff rumours regarding a Real Madrid move for his son, with the Argentine absolutely integral to Slot’s side.
RW: Mohamed Salah – Salah celebrated his new contract with an exquisite assist against West Ham that takes his Premier League tally to 45 goal contributions in 32 matches this term. He has a surprisingly average record against Leicester by his lofty standards, with just five goals in 12 past duels.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai – Szoboszlai was replaced by Curtis Jones against the Hammers but could be restored to the lineup on Sunday. He scored his second Liverpool goal against Leicester in the Carabao Cup last term.
LW: Luis Diaz – Diaz was the beneficiary of Salah’s lovely assist last weekend as he took his goal tally to 15 in all competitions. The Colombian is in stronger form than Cody Gakpo at present and should start on Sunday.
ST: Diogo Jota – The Portuguese forward has not looked quite himself for large parts of this season and could do with scoring against his favourite opponents. He’s netted nine against the Foxes in Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool colours – more than against any other team.
