Liverpool look to secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages when they play Ajax in Holland tonight (October 26).
Victory will take Liverpool to 12 points in Group A, knocking Ajax out of top two contention in the process.
A last minute header from Joel Matip was the difference the last time the two played at Anfield in September.
The 2-1 victory proved a vital result for Liverpool who have struggled for form this season.
Defeat to Nottingham Forest 1-0 last Saturday in the Premier League reflected the inconsistencies of Jurgen Klopp’s side.
They are struggling to keep the ball out of their own net and are defending without their usual composure and prowess.
Forest hounded Liverpool for much of the game and were given multiple chances to add to their lead.
It could have easily been a larger deficit if not for Alisson Becker’s heroics in goal.
A significant cause of their struggles is their current injury list.
Joel Matip is sidelined until November, while Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz are both out until after the World Cup in December.
Klopp has to look for alternative options in his squad and change his starting XI as he looks for short-term solutions.
This has made it harder for the team to gel on the pitch and grow comfortably as a unit.
Klopp’s change to 4-4-2 from 4-3-3 has been met with mixed reviews from fans, but it highlights an attempt to change the tactical approach to make up for lost players.
To put out a consistent team is a big ask as key players continue to drop like flies.
Virgil Van Dijk is determined to embrace the storm and spur some much-needed energy back in to the club.
He said: “We need everyone, all the players, fit players, we need the fans and to grind out results to get momentum.”
Before flying out to Amsterdam on Tuesday evening, the squad reported for training at the AXA training centre in Kirkby.
An ear infection has kept Thiago out of the team and it’s highly likely he won’t make the squad for the Ajax game.
Darwin Nunez looks to be recovering from a slight hamstring problem picked up against West Ham last Wednesday and reported for training as usual.
Klopp will be relieved to have Nunez at his disposal against Ajax as the young Uruguayan gradually finds his feet at Liverpool.
Having scored 11 goals in their last two games in the Eredivise, Ajax come in to the game with momentum.
A 7-1 thrashing of Excelsior was followed by a 4-1 trouncing of RKC Waalwijk.
A positive reaction will be necessary if Liverpool are to leave the Dutch capital with three points and successfully bounce back from their shock defeat on the weekend.
.){kind=link}