5 Nov 2015

Confirmed Liverpool Team: £56m attacking-duo benched; unbalanced defence? Klopp takes big risk with Benteke

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has made several changes for tonight's Europa League clash with Rubin Kazan, the most notable of which is the decision to rest two-goal Chelsea hero Philippe Coutinho.

FULL TEAM: Mignolet, Clyne, Sakho, Lovren, Moreno, Can, Allen, Milner, Ibe, Firmino, Benteke.

SUBS: Bogdan, Coutinho*, Lallana*, Lucas, Origi, Brannagan, Skrtel.

* It's disappointing to see Bogdan ignored for this game. After his excellent performance against Bournemouth, he arguably deserves another run out.

* Lovren starts ahead of Skrtel, who is given a much-needed rest. It's important to retain some kind of continuity in defence, so it's good to see Clyne, Sakho, and Moreno retaining their places.

* Sakho and Lovren are both left-sided central defenders, so hopefully this won't cause an imbalance in defence.

* Can, Allen, and Milner together = uninspiring, and devoid of creative impact, but they should be defensively solid enough.

* Benteke features in his second game this week, and hopefully his fitness will hold up.

* In my view, starting Benteke is the wrong decision, especially if the plan is to play him on Sunday, too.

* Coutinho, Lucas, and Lallana are also rested, which suggests they'll be back in the team for Sunday's game with Crystal Palace.

Probable formation:

------------- Mignolet
Clyne --- Sakho - Lovren ---- Moreno
---- Milner - Allen - Can
--------- Ibe --- Firmino
------------ Benteke

No British team has ever beaten Rubin Kazan at home. Can Liverpool make history?

PREDICTION LEAGUE

Do not post predictions here! Please post them on the pre-match thread, HERE. Any predictions posted here will be ignored.

* Coutinho: £30m-rated. Lallana: Cost £26m

Author: Jaimie K


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