Liverpool return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon with the small matter of hosting Manchester City amid a heated three-way title race.
Pep Guardiola's side have won the Premier League for three successive seasons but trail Liverpool by a point heading into the business end.
Arsenal may well finish the weekend on top should they win at home to Brentford and see Liverpool and City draw, but the Reds will remain in an excellent position as long as the Citizens fail to win at Anfield.
Still, the quality is there to send City packing with their tails between their legs, especially with the buoying returns of several key stars from injury.
Liverpool still nurse a bloated injury list, but Jurgen Klopp will be confident in his side's prospects, and might make three changes after dispatching Sparta Prague 5-1 away from home on Thursday night in the first leg of their last-16 Europa League tie.
1 GK – Caoimhin Kelleher
Alisson Becker has been plagued by injuries this season and he's going to miss out again against Manchester City, but Caoimhin Kelleher has been utterly brilliant in his stead.
The backup shot-stopper has played a major part in Liverpool's success this season and is more than capable for the forthcoming fixture, with his skipper, Virgil van Dijk, even marvelling at his "world-class" performances of late.
His efforts will likely leave him demanding first-team football next season and thus he might be in the final stretch of his Liverpool career, but what a journey.
2 RB – Conor Bradley
Conor Bradley scored a rather unfortunate own goal on Thursday night but this should not detract from the 20-year-old right-back's incredible start to life as a first-team regular at Liverpool.
Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to languish in the medical room, but Bradley has proved himself a worthy asset, arguably with a more complete skill set than the influential England international anyway.
3 CB – Ibrahima Konate
The same question is on everyone's mind: will Ibrahima Konate be fit to start against Manchester City? Let's hope. Jarell Quansah is a fine prospect, but he doesn't boast the polish nor the all-round monstrous defensive style as Konate – yet.
The France international needed to step up after Joel Matip's season was severed back in December due to an ACL injury, and alongside his imperious partner, Liverpool will have a darn good shot at stifling Haaland, Foden and co.
4 CB – Virgil van Dijk
Van Dijk has been there, he's done that. Against Manchester City, no Reds player will be tasked with greater responsibility than he, commanding his team and organising his backline against some of the world's finest attacking outlets.
It's all been said before; everyone knows how good he is. The Netherlands international will be right at the heart of the battle, locking horns with his prolific adversaries.
5 LB – Joe Gomez
Andy Robertson hasn't looked the same since returning from his four-month injury layoff in January, but patience must be urged here, the Scottish whiz is one of the best in the business and is bound to be back to his best soon.
Right-back
18
0
1
Left-back
14
0
1
Centre-back
4
0
1
Defensive midfield
2
0
0
However, against Phil Foden, his lack of awareness and lapses could be detrimental, and for that reason, Klopp would be wise to unleash the versatile Joe Gomez from the outset, with the defender impressive across a range of roles this season.
6 DM – Wataru Endo
Liverpool lost out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea in August and the world laughed. Admittedly, it was funny (in a not-so-ha-ha way for the Reds), but the surprise signing of Wataru Endo for £16m to plug the gap in holding midfield has proved to be a masterful piece of business.
Industrious, intelligent and devoted to the cause, the 31-year-old will do the groundwork that allows those ahead of him to flourish and threaten Ederson's goal.
7 CM – Dominik Szoboszlai
Dominik Szoboszlai scored in the dying embers of Liverpool's tie in the Czech Republic on Thursday to put any hopes of a Sparta Prague comeback to bed.
The Hungarian, who has been described as an "artist" by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his invention in the Liverpool midfield, will be one to watch tomorrow.
Klopp must boldly drop Liverpool's 8/10 star alongside Robertson
Anfield welcomes the defending champions in a seismic Premier League showdown on Wednesday.
ByAngus Sinclair Mar 9, 2024
Unleashing him from the start will mean that Harvey Elliott, praised for his "special" recent displays by journalist Bence Bocsak, has to return to the bench, but this is the right call for such a pivotal showdown.
8 CM – Alexis Mac Allister
The unerring engine in the centre of the park for Liverpool this season, Alexis Mac Allister has been immense since completing a £35m transfer to Liverpool from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer, offering the full package in midfield.
As per Sofascore, the 2022 World Cup winner has scored two goals and supplied four assists from 22 Premier League matches this season, completing 88% of his passes, averaging 1.2 key passes, 2.7 tackles, 5.6 successful duels and 5.7 ball recoveries per game, also succeeding with 63% of his dribbles.
9 RW – Mohamed Salah
He's back, and what a time to return to the starting lineup. On Thursday night, Mohamed Salah thought he'd made a goalscoring return from injury off the bench for the second time in as many months but it wasn't to be, with the Egyptian's strike against Sparta Prague chalked off for the slightest of offsides.
Across all competitions this season, Salah has posted 19 goals and 10 assists from only 23 starts, with a fine record of 17 goal contributions from 20 clashes against Manchester City, too.
10 LW – Luis Diaz
Luis Diaz has been unwavering on the left flank for Liverpool across recent months, and while the Colombian's wastefulness in front of goal has posed a problem for Klopp's side, his fleet-footed skills and directness make him a valuable asset nonetheless.
