Liverpool vs Man City predicted team: No mercy for embarrassed Pep

Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold

Joel Matip still isn’t available and so Joe Gomez should continue playing alongside Virgil van Dijk in the heart of defence.

Klopp seems to have a soft spot for Dejan Lovren but it’s really unlikely that the Croatian will come into the starting side agains a team as good as City. And for the club’s Twitter feed, we all hope that Lovren is restricted to a place on the bench.

Van Dijk is obviously an automatic selection and he’ll trouble the Mancs going forward and front set-pieces, as well as by being a defensive rock.

With no fixture congestion and plenty of time to get rid of those end-of-season hangovers, you’d expect little change from Klopp in defence.

Andy Roberson is so good down that left-hand side, while Trent Alexander-Arnold is the best right-back in the world. They’re both vital to how Liverpool attack. They have fantastic engines, lay on assists, provide width and defend from the front foot.

City won’t have Sergio Aguero available but their forward line of Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus offers more depth than Liverpool can muster and will be difficult for the back four to handle.

This game gives us the Gomez vs Sterling reunion, which could get spicey. Keep a keen eye out for how those two go about their business.