Overview
- Liverpool host PSV in the Champions League league phase with automatic top‑eight positioning at stake after stronger European results than in the league.
- Alisson Becker is absent through illness, so Giorgi Mamardashvili starts in goal for a late reshuffle.
- Record signing Alexander Isak is on the bench, with Hugo Ekitike leading the line alongside Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo.
- Right‑back shortages force a makeshift back line, with Curtis Jones starting there and Dominik Szoboszlai pushed into midfield; Florian Wirtz, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong remain out, and Joe Gomez is available but not fully fit after a knee injection.
- Virgil van Dijk urges a return to basics and Cody Gakpo confirms ‘honest’ dressing‑room talks, as Arne Slot accepts responsibility and labels the recent run ‘ridiculous’ with in‑form PSV posing a serious test after a 6‑2 win over Napoli.