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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Richard Garnett

How Liverpool could line up against Arsenal after Mohamed Salah misses training

It's all to play for in the Premier League as juggernauts Liverpool and Manchester City slug it out in a high quality gun-slinging run-in that is sure to go to the wire.

Whether it will be The Reds or the Sky Blues who are left standing to collect English football's greatest prize when the dust settles is currently anyone's guess, but if Jurgen Klopp is to capture his second league title in the Anfield hot seat this season, he must first dispatch old enemy Arsenal.

The Gunners are bang in form and still hurting from their Carabao Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Liverpool only last month, so the Reds can expect no favours off Mikel Arteta's men.

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But if Liverpool are to leave north London with another crucial three points they may have to do it without talisman Mohamed Salah, who came off injured against Brighton on Saturday and significantly was absent from training on Monday afternoon.

With that in mind, here's a look at how Jurgen Klopp might shape his side without the Premier League's top goal scorer.

Choice to be made on front-three focal point

The time when Liverpool's front three simply picked itself has been and gone. Now Klopp has a range of credible options beyond the staple of Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

And with Salah a possible absentee on Wednesday evening, that's just as well.

The arrival of Diogo Jota and more recently Luis Diaz has shaken up the attacking hierarchy, with competition for places tougher than ever before since Klopp's arrival on Merseyside.

But Colombian Diaz has hit the grown running since arriving in the Premier League little more than six weeks ago and is our pick to start on the left side of attack.

That selection should be the simple one for the Liverpool manager, but selecting where to position his other attacking options could be a tougher ask.

With Jota recently struggling with injury, Mane has found himself moved back into the central role and has demonstrated typical proficiency in the role.

But before his knock, Jota was flying the central position, in a season that has already seen him find the back of the net 18 times.

Firmino and the supporting cast of Divock Origi and Taki Minamino are unlikely to get in ahead of the other three, so I'm sticking with Mane through the middle and Jota on the right, filling the void vacated by Salah.

Expect the three to swap places throughout the match regardless.

Midfield must be mindful of Gunners' threat

Brazilian Fabinho is the undisputed general at the base of Liverpool's engine room and is sure to start against Arsenal. Controlling the match against a good technical side, so captain fantastic Jordon Henderson will assume his usual position on the right, bringing that all important experience and energy with him.

That only leaves the left-hand sided birth to fill, which looks like a toss-up between Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita.

Spaniard Thiago is a Rolls Royce of a footballer, with the ability to unlocked the meanest defence, but with Arsenal offering such an array of pacey attacking riches, is he the man to cut of the hosts supply?

I'm backing Keita to get the nod on this one, with Thiago waiting in the wings to make an impact in the second half.

Bedrock of defensive record remains unchanged

Back in the golden age of Arsenal, under former manager George Graham, The Gunners' back four and goalkeeper seemingly picked itself - Seaman in sticks, Dixon, Adams, Bould, Winterburn. Clean sheet, job done.

These days it's Liverpool's rear guard that has a feel of invincibility about it.

With six clean sheets out of their last seven matches, tinkering to the back four should only be required when necessary, so for that reason, Alisson is in goal with a hugely predictable back four from right to left of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson.

The likely absence of Salah will no doubt be the pre-match talking point and he is sure to be loss for Liverpool, but our proposed starting XI still has more than enough quality in all areas to get the job done at the Emirates on Wednesday evening.

Liverpool's possible starting XI v Arsenal: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Keita, Jota, Mane, Diaz

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