Paul Merson predicts Arne Slot to make Liverpool line-up change which’d stun Reds fans
Paul Merson believes Arne Slot might make an unexpected change to his starting XI for Liverpool’s upcoming match against Aston Villa tonight.
In Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen midweek, Slot shifted Luis Diaz to a central forward role to accommodate Cody Gakpo on the left, a move that paid off as Diaz scored a hat-trick. Despite the success of this tactic, Merson expects the 46-year-old coach to make further adjustments for the visit of Unai Emery’s side to Anfield.
In his weekly Premier League predictions for Sportskeeda, Merson suggested that Villa could pose significant challenges to Liverpool. He anticipates a change in the forward line, stating: “Although Luis Diaz netted a hat-trick in the Champions League, I believe Darwin Nunez will return to the starting line-up for this game.”
Surely Diaz won’t be dropped?
While Merson has predicted that Darwin Nunez could make his way back into the starting line-up, this isn’t entirely surprising, though he didn’t clarify whether that would mean Diaz being moved out of the centre-forward role or if the Colombian would shift back to the left to accommodate Nunez, with Gakpo then possibly making way.
It seems hard to believe that Diaz, especially after his hat-trick against Leverkusen, would be left out of the starting XI, and it would also seem unfair to drop Gakpo after he scored as well in midweek.
It’s more likely that Nunez could be the one starting on the bench tonight, with the hope that he can come on as a game-changer if Liverpool need goals later in the match.
Merson’s prediction might surprise some Liverpool fans, but it also highlights the attacking depth that Slot has at his disposal, even with Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa still out injured.
Jhon Duran has often been a key substitute for Villa this season, but we expect Diaz to be starting at Anfield tonight, given his recent form.
