CONFIRMED Liverpool lineup vs Bayer Leverkusen as HUGE Szoboszlai and Nunez calls made

Here's the confirmed line-up for Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League.

Liverpool face another crunch fixture as they host Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League. It's Arne Slot vs Xabi Alonso - the two up-and-coming managers will pit their XIs against one another for the first time.

Slot has a difficult challenge with that as Liverpool continue to negotiate a tough run of fixtures. Here are the big decisions and what we expect to happen.

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Liverpool risk Konate

Ibrahima Konate went off injured against Brighton at the weekend and while he's apparently 'completely recovered', it's still only just a few days out. Today felt like an opportunity to rotate and take absolutely zero risks.

However, it seems as though Konate is completely fine and he has been called back into the side alongside the club captain for what is a very important match and probably one of the toughest for the Reds in the competition, aside from Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Battling in midfield

Leverkusen pack the middle of the pitch and Liverpool will need a lot of energy in there to combat it. Fortunately, they have that in spades.

Curtis Jones has been given the start, after not starting against Brighton but coming on to bag an assist for the winner. He was also just excellent and has been consistently of late.

Ryan Gravenberch also starts - no doubt there - but who's the third? Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai are the two options.

And it's Mac Allister who has been given the nod with Szoboszlai dropped.

The Argentine offers more solidity against the Leverkusen numbers. Liverpool can't afford to let Florian Wirtz get too much freedom.

Same old question or is it?

Mo Salah: yes. Darwin Nunez: yes. So should it be Cody Gakpo or Luis Diaz?

That's been the question in every lineup all season and it reoccurs here. The trick is usually to just go with the one who didn't start last time.

But this time Slot seems to have opted to play both Gakpo and Diaz, with the latter seemingly set to be playing in a central position.

Meanwhile, Nunez has dropped to the bench.

Based on that we could be in for a strange new formation, similar to Szoboszlai playing the false nine role against Brighton last week in the League Cup.

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So without further ado, here is the confirmed line-up for the game against Bayern Leverkusen tonight:

Liverpool confirmed line-up: Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Jones, Mac Allister, Salah, Gakpo, Diaz