Following their disappointing defeat at the hands of Arsenal in the FA Cup, Liverpool will now devote complete attention to finishing their league campaign on a strong note.
The Reds felt hard-done by against the Gunners in the FA Cup last week, but their elimination could prove to be a silver lining in their hopes of finishing in the Champions League places or even winning the title, as the teams in and around them will have to contend with other competitions, while Brendan Rodgers’ side only need to focus on the league from now till the end of the season.
Swansea City are the visitors to Anfield on Sunday and the Reds will know that the reinvigorated Swans side under Garry Monk will provide a stern test.
Goalkeeper
Brad Jones was solid in the FA Cup clash against Arsenal, but the Australian should make way for regular number one Simon Mignolet in goal. Mignolet’s international compatriot Thibaut Courtois has launched a couple of verbal attacks on the 25-year old recently, but the Liverpool custodian does his talking on the pitch and should be solid as ever between the sticks against a dangerous Swansea attack.
Defence
The Liverpool defence has looked a bit shaky in recent weeks, therefore, the possible return of Daniel Agger and Glen Johnson would be a huge boost for Rodgers. Agger started in the FA Cup clash against Arsenal last week and should continue in central defence alongside Martin Skrtel while Aly Cissokho will probably make way for Glen Johnson at right-back, with young Jon Flanagan shifting to the left-side of back four.
Jose Enrique is sidelined with a long-term knee injury while Mamadou Sakho could still be ruled out with a hamstring problem.
Midfield
The Liverpool midfield has more or less remained the same since Lucas suffered a knee injury against Aston Villa last month and with the Brazilian still out, there should not be too many changes.
Joe Allen was handed a rare start against Arsenal in the FA Cup but Jordan Henderson should replace the Welshman on Sunday. The evergreen Steven Gerrard will start in the deeper central midfield position while the impressive Philippe Coutinho will be deployed in the playmaker’s role.
Raheem Sterling will provide the width for the Liverpool side down the right-hand side and the youngster will look to support the deadly duo of Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez. Young João Carlos Teixeira was impressive in his cameo role against Fulham and will also be pushing for a start alongside Victor Moses and Iago Aspas.
Striker
As we have seen in so many games this season, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez will be looking wreak havoc to the opposition defence at Anfield. The duo’s ability in front of goal has been widely lauded but what makes the two almost impossible to defend against is their interchangeability between the wide and central positions.
Sturridge has scored in all of his six appearances since returning from injury but surprisingly Suarez has scored only one in five. The Uruguayan star will certainly be looking to rectify that on Sunday.
(4-5-1)
Mignolet; Flanagan, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson; Sturridge, Henderson, Gerrard, Coutinho, Sterling; Suarez
