Liverpool will be without without injured midfielders Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita for the visit of Cardiff.
Henderson was substituted during last week’s win at Huddersfield because of a hamstring problem. Summer signing Keita remains out for the same reason.
Their absence means Fabinho is likely to start as the Reds’ holding midfielder.
Ahead of the match, Jurgen Klopp hd s a chilling message for the rest of the Premier League: “I’ve got my old Liverpool back”.
The manager had said only last week he could offer no guarantee the free-flowing, irresistible football of last season would return any time soon, with his new-look team finding a different, more resilient balance between defence and attack.
But the 4-0 thumping of Red Star Belgrade in midweek had all the hallmarks of a classic Klopp-era Liverpool performance, with his unstoppable front three all scoring and his team producing some compelling build-up play.
That provided a stark contrast with the laboured display at Huddersfield last Saturday and, when asked if he felt last season’s Liverpool were finally back after a spluttering start to the campaign, the manager replied with a satisfied smile: “Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was really good, based on really good organisation.
“We scored three goals from counter-pressing situations. All the good things we did – playing in behind, chipping through balls – it was counter-pressing that got us goals.
“The first goal, it was probably the first counterpress situation of [Xherdan Shaqiri’s] life. We got the ball back, passed it, wonderful goal. We filled the box which was also different to other games. Second one, we won it back, [Georginio Wijnaldum] chipped it to Shaq, ball in and then ‘bam’. The fourth one for sure was a counter-press situation with Gini in front of the defender and passing the ball into the box.”
Klopp believes that pressing energy and ability to turn over the ball and hit opponents with ruthless efficiency is key to his side’s best attacking form.
And he will ask his team to repeat Wednesday’s Champions League improvements against Cardiff today, as the Reds look to build the pressure on Manchester City at the top of the table.
“In all our good games it was [pressing] like this. City last season, [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal, an unbelievable shot, but how we won the ball back before that made all the difference,” Klopp said. “It was a really good performance against Red Star. In the end it was the perfect game.”