Key events
Fun fact: Luton have played more away games without a win against Liverpool (14) than any other opponent. It will also be almost 33 years since their last win, home or away, against the Reds, when Iain Dowie scored a second-half brace ensured a 3-1 win after coming from behind about the Reds on the artificial turf at Kenilworth Road.
The Hatters came agonizingly close to ending that winless run in November when Tahith Chong’s goal almost saved, but Liverpool secured a point with super substitute Luis Diaz’s 95th-minute strike.
“They (Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez) couldn’t have played tonight,” Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp said. “Everyone who can play tonight will be there. From here we will see who will be back (Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea) but that is not important at the moment.”
He added: “We are completely different since they performed well last time (against Luton) and we should have scored goals. “I’ve seen a lot of Luton games and the progress they’ve made is crazy and deserve great respect.
“Luton started very pragmatically (at the start of the season) and have developed football-wise since then and it’s really good work what Rob (Edwards) is doing there. Will it be a test for us? Yes.
“It’s about coming in, causing problems and winning the game.”
Elsewhere in the northwestSir Jim Ratcliffe has outlined his plans to return Manchester United to its former glory by knocking Liverpool and Manchester City “off their perch” within the next three years.
Less than 24 hours after taking control of football operations at Old Trafford, the 71-year-old billionaire admitted United needed to learn clear lessons from the way their rivals have behaved in the 11 years since Sir Alex Ferguson took over had come far forward on the departure.
In a wide-ranging interview, Ratcliffe refused to directly address Erik ten Hag’s future. However, he said the failure of several managers since 2013 suggested that, above all, the club’s structure and atmosphere needed to be improved.
“We can learn a lot from our noisy neighbor and the other neighbor,” Ratcliffe said. “Ultimately, they are the enemy. There’s nothing I’d rather do than knock both of them out of their place.
“But they have been doing well for some time and there are things we can learn from both of them. They have sensible organizations, great people within the organizations, a good, motivated and elite environment in which they work. I have a lot of respect for them, but they are still the enemy.”
The teams!
Jurgen Klopp has made five changes from the Liverpool team that beat Brentford 4-1 on Saturday: Quansah, Gomez, Gravenberch, Gakpo and Elliott have all been included in the squad. What is noteworthy is that there is no Salah or Nunez on the bench. Rob Edwards made no changes to Luton after their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at the weekend.
Liverpool
XI: Kelleher, Bradley, Quansah, van Dijk, Gomez, Gravenberch, Endo, Mac Allister, Elliott, Gakpo, Diaz
Subs: Konate, Adrian, Tsimikas, Robertson, Clark, Gordon, Nyoni, Danns, McConnell
Luton Town
XI: Kaminski, Mengi, Osho, Bell, Ogbene, Sambi Lokonga, Barkley, Doughty, Morris, Chong, Woodrow
Subs: Potts, Berry, Kabore, Burke, Mpanzu, Clark, Krul, Townsend, Nelson.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire)
preamble
Hello and welcome to Anfield for today’s Premier League game between Liverpool and Luton Town. The Premier League leaders, who are 57 points ahead of Manchester City (56) and two ahead of Arsenal (55), host the Hatters, who remain in 18th place after Saturday’s narrow 2-1 defeat The relegation zone lies with Manchester United.
The big story with Liverpool concerns their growing injury list, which now resembles a mash unit. Jürgen Klopp’s team will be without Alisson (“for the foreseeable future”) and Diogo Jota, who is expected to be out for several months. Mo Salah is also questionable for today’s game alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcântara and possibly Dominik Szoboszlai.
The team sheets are with us at all times and we will give them to you directly.
