This weekend sees the 10th week of Premier League action and Liverpool will be looking to extend their unbeaten run when they face Cardiff City.
The Reds will, however, have to recover from Champions League action in midweek having faced Red Star Belgrade at Anfield, while Cardiff have had a full week to prepare.
But the Reds should have too much for their opponents given Jurgen Klopp’s wealth of midfield options. Even when the long-term absentee Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is excluded, Liverpool have the ability to create a wide range of midfield combinations to suit their needs against certain opponents.
Jurgen Klopp’s multiple midfield combos – and how each one works
1. Strongest trio
Jordan Henderson is a good footballer, but he does not have a part in Liverpool’s best midfield. New signings Naby Keita and Fabinho were brought in to build a team for the future and they will be there, playing together, for a long time.
Despite being yet to feature alongside each other due to Fabinho having to acclimatise to English football, the pair have the potential to work well, counter-balancing the other’s strengths and weaknesses.
With Fabinho at the heart of the trio, the Brazilian can hold back to help his defenders while Keita and the impressive Georginio Wijnaldum push forward onto the opponents, implementing Klopp’s high-pressing gameplan. But Fabinho will not be alone in defending with both Keita and Winjaldum more than capable of chipping in defensively, proving to be solid all-round midfielders.
2. Plan B
Such is Keita’s ability in midfield, the Guinean international can still be as effective even when played in a slightly more defensive position. Strong in the tackle, averaging three per game in the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig last season, Keita is just as much a destroyer as he can be a creator. But with Fabinho holding deeper too, Keita can have a bit more freedom to push forward, joining in with the attack both on and off the ball, driving the ball forward as he did so many times for Leipzig.
Ahead of them, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are joined in supporting Roberto Firmino by Xherdan Shaqiri, who is making it harder and harder for Klopp not to start him. The former Stoke City man has impressed with practically every appearance he has made for Liverpool so far, most recently helping run the show against Red Star Belgrade with relative ease. Then, Shaqiri was playing in a more central midfield role. But further up the pitch, he can have even more influence, almost forming a fluid four-man attack alongside Salah, Mane and Firmino – finally replacing Philippe Coutinho from last season.
3. English roots
While the Premier League gets a bad reputation for the lack of home talent developing and playing among the top teams, Liverpool do have a good selection of English players to choose from.
Two holding midfielders in James Milner and Jordan Henderson form the base of a four-man midfield and, while focusing on defending, will provide creativity from deep in a double pivot.
Both are capable midfielders when it comes to passing but bring different styles to the team, with Milner able to build up play with neat, short passes to teammates in close spaces while Henderson prefers the Hollywood, quarter-back kind of pass which splits a defence in an instant, seeking out fast runners.
Slightly ahead of them, but behind two forwards, Adam Lallana can have the freedom of the wing to get at opposition defences with his dribbling and ability to navigate his way out of right situations in front of goal. Klopp’s side do, however, require some defending from the forward players but Lallana’s hard-work can make him a valuable aspect in a formation like this.
Mane would take up the other side of the midfield, playing in a role similar to the one he currently occupies in Klopp’s 4-3-3, moving forward at times to join Salah and Firmino in the attack.
4. A new dimension
Against Red Star Belgrade, Klopp tried something slightly new with Xherdan Shaqiri playing more in the midfield trio than with the attacking players. And, despite being against a team of smaller stature, the Swiss performed very well and could provide a new blueprint for Klopp to use for the future.
Once again, Fabinho is the holding player, providing the transition between Liverpool’s defence and attack with his good passing ability, while also shielding his back four.
Slightly ahead of him, a tasty midfield partnership of Shaqiri and Keita will have opposition players worried with both able to harry opponents off the ball with ease, pushing strong and hard, while also using their pace to their benefit. And all this can be converted into attack too, with the pair more than capable of driving forward from deep with good dribbling abilities from both.
Either side of them, Salah and Mane will cause more problems from a deeper position, able to link up closely with their midfield, hurting teams with their pace on the ball from the start. But their movement would not take away from their understanding with Firmino, who will also drop deeper to link up, giving Salah and Mane more opportunity to advance up the pitch.
Read on for Liverpool v Cardiff City live stream options, team news, predicted XIs, stats and TV channel info.
When is Liverpool vs Cardiff City?
Competition: Premier League
Venue: Anfield
Date: Saturday, 27 October
Kick-off: 3:00 PM BST
Match preview
Liverpool enjoyed a relatively straightforward win over Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League on Wednesday and will be hoping for another similar result when Cardiff visit Anfield on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp’s men now have slight control over their Champions League group, but return to the Premier League where they are level on points with defending champions Manchester City with 23 points – two clear of the chasing pack.
Drawing just two matches so far in the league – against City and Chelsea – Liverpool have won with both style and when underperforming, as shown most recently in scraping a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town last weekend.
Despite the strength of the Liverpool team, the Bluebirds will be buoyed going into the match having won their first Premier League fixture of the season last weekend with a 4-2 win over Fulham to move them onto five points from nine matches.
Though previous fixtures do not look kindly on Cardiff, with the Welsh side having already lost to four of last season’s Premier League’s top six, shipping 13 goals in those games.
Where can I watch live?
UK residents will not be able to watch Liverpool’s game against Cardiff City, but live match commentary will be available on LFCTV, channel 425 on Sky and channel 544, for Virgin Media users.
The game is available to watch on fuboTV.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about fuboTV
Head-to-head
Liverpool and Cardiff have had very different starts to the current season. The Reds are currently joint-top of the Premier League and still unbeaten after nine matches, scoring 16 and conceding just three. On the other hand, Cardiff are 17th having lost six of their opening nine matches, and not winning until their most recent fixture.
Believe it or not, Liverpool have a negative record when facing Cardiff in official competitions, losing 18 times compared to their 12 wins. However, the Reds have won the past four meetings between the two sides, with Cardiff’s last victory coming in 1959.
Liverpool wins: 12 Draws: 2 Cardiff wins: 18
Team news
Liverpool are likely to, once again, be without captain Jordan Henderson and midfield maestro Naby Keita with both missing the Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade. As a result, Fabinho could earn his first Premier League start having impressed on Wednesday alongside Xherdan Shaqiri.
Meanwhile, Cardiff will once again be without the injured Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Lee Peltier and Danny Ward, as well as the suspended Joe Ralls for the trip to Liverpool.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson, Gomez, Van Dijk, Lovren, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Shaqiri; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Predicted Cardiff City XI: Etheridge, Ecuele Manga, Morrison, Bamba, Bennett; Camarasa, Arter, Gunnarsson, Murphy; Paterson, Reid.
Predictions & Betting Tips
Register with William Hill HERE & bet £10, get £30 in free bets. Terms & Conditions apply. 18+ only. BeGambleAware.
1. Mohamed Salah to score first @ 11/5
There has been much talk over whether Salah is capable of living up to the standards he set last season, during which he scored 32 goals in the Premier League.
Four goals in nine Premier League games is not a bad start, but some have even gone as far as to predict the Egyptian will be a ‘one-season wonder’.
But the Salah has scored three goals in his past two games for Liverpool, against Huddersfield and Red Star – building confidence which Cardiff will not want to see.
Key Stat: Mohamed Salah is the quickest player to reach 50 goals in Liverpool’s history (65 games).
Tip: Mohamed Salah to score first @ 11/5 with William Hill – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (26/10/2018, 13:10)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
2. Liverpool to win to nil @ 4/7
A big problem in Liverpool’s recent history, which has prevented them from winning trophies, has been the Reds’ defence – most notably in 2013/14 when Brendan Rodgers’ concession of too many goals effectively lost them the Premier League title.
But this season the Reds’ backline has been nigh on impregnable in the league, with Alisson conceding just three goals in nine games so far.
To make matters worse for Cardiff, the Bluebirds have not been the most prolific in front of goal, scoring just eight so far – half of which came in their last match against Fulham.
Key Stat: Liverpool (six) have kept the joint-most clean sheets in the Premier League this season.
Tip: Liverpool to win to nil @ 4/7 with William Hill – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (26/10/2018, 13:10)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
3. Liverpool to win and four or more goals in the match @ 17/20
Liverpool and Cardiff may not have faced off too often recently – only four times in almost 50 years – but the past two fixtures between the two sides brought goals galore.
Facing off in the 2013/14 Premier League, Liverpool beat Cardiff in both matches with 13 goals scored between the 3-1 and 6-3 victories for the Reds.
In addition, Cardiff have struggled in defence against the top sides this season, conceding four away to Chelsea as well as five and three at home to Manchester City and Arsenal respectively.
Key Stat: Only Fulham (25) have conceded more goals than Cardiff (19) in the Premier League this season.
Tip: Liverpool to win and four or more goals in the match @ 17/20 with William Hill – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (26/10/2018, 13:10)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
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