13 Apr 2016

Liverpool XI vs. Dortmund: Klopp to axe 'brilliant' £25m star? Brazilian benched? Surprise start for midfielder?

Sunday's 4-1 demolition of Stoke City is ideal preparation for Liverpool's massive game with Dortmund this week, and with Jurgen Klopp able to rest seven players over the weekend, the Reds are in good shape for the biggest game of the season.

Pre-match news:

* Emre Can missed out against Stoke due to suspension, so he's nailed for a return to the starting line-up.

* 'Brilliant' Sturridge played his first full 90-minutes of the season on Sunday, and appears to be fit for Thursday's game.

* According to Klopp, Coutinho and Lallana are in 'brilliant shape', which means they'll almost certainly return to the starting line-up.

The team basically picks itself for this game, with one exception: the Origi/Sturridge dilemma.

With three goals in his last two games, Origi is in the midst of a purple-patch of form, and he's certainly made a case for a starting berth on Thursday. That said, Sturridge also scored at the weekend, and with 4 goal/assists in his last 6 games, he is also in productive form.

Given a straight choice, I'd personally go with Sturridge. Origi has done well over the last two games, but Sturridge has (when fit) proven himself time and time against over the last three years, and if he misses out again on Thursday, he has every right to feel aggrieved.

The whole point of getting Sturridge fit is to have him available for games like this, no? If so, it seems a little ironic to me that when he's finally fit, Sturridge is left on the bench for Liverpool's biggest games. Possible lineups:

-------------- Mignolet
Clyne ----- Sakho -- Lovren ----- Moreno
------- Milner -- Can --- Allen
-------- Coutinho -- Origi
-------------- Sturridge

OR:

-------------- Mignolet
Clyne ----- Sakho -- Lovren ----- Moreno
------- Milner -- Can --- Allen
-------- Coutinho -- Lallana
-------------- Origi

P. LEAGUE

You have until Thursday 20:00PM (GMT) to participate.

* 20 Points: First goalscorer (either team)

* 30 Points: Liverpool player with the most backward passes (%)

* 40 Points: Collective Liverpool key passes

* 100 Point Triple-Whammy: Goalscorer + Backward passes + collective key passes

* The Harvey Manfredjinsinjin Mega-Bonus: 150 points. Perfect score + goalscorer + Backward passes + collective key passes.


Author: Jaimie K


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