Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has named his starting XI to take on Arsenal in the Reds’ penultimate home game of the Premier League season, with Mikel Arteta’s side hoping to cement second spot in the standings by earning a positive result.
Alisson Becker is in goal with Conor Bradley at right-back, as promised by Slot in Friday’s press conference. Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk are at center-back with Andy Robertson at left-back. Trent Alexander-Arnold is on the bench.
In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai is alongside Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones. Among the substitutes is Alexis Mac Allister. Harvey Elliott drops to the bench having started a week ago.
Ryan Gravenberch, who had started every Premier League game until the Chelsea game at Stamford Bridge last Sunday, was rested last week. But he is back in the team this time around.
Mohamed Salah, who is still chasing the Premier League record for goal contributions, is in the team in attack. He needs two more goal involvements to draw level with Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer’s record of 47.
Salah is joined up top by Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo. Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez are among the options on the bench but Federico Chiesa misses out.
“The first thing for me to say ahead of this match is very straightforward — thank you,” Slot writes in his official matchday program notes ahead of the game.
“Thank you for the unbelievable scenes that followed our last home game and thank you to those who took the party to Stamford Bridge last week.
“The support, colour, passion, noise and joy that our supporters have created over the last two weekends is something that is very special. In my experience of football so far, it is also unique.
“In these moments, we are reminded why we work as hard as we do and why this club means as much as it does to so many people. This makes winning together such an incredible experience and it is one that all of us would like to recreate in the future.
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“But — and I hate to be the person who comes with a ‘but’ in a situation like this — as well as enjoying everything about our achievement, we now have to start climbing the mountain all over again.
“I was pleased with many elements of our performance against Chelsea, particularly the way we responded to being behind, but the fact is we lost. As a wise man once said to me, no good can ever come of losing football games.
“That defeat gives today’s game an extra importance because ever since we were crowned champions our aim has been to end this season as strongly as we possibly can.”
Liverpool starting XI: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo. Subs: Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Tsimikas, Endo, Elliott, Mac Allister, Nunez, Jota.
