Following the dramatic 3-3 draw with Everton last weekend, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has shuffled his pack for the trip to Hull City as the Reds look to return to winning ways at the KC Stadium.
There’s no surprises between the sticks with Simon Mignolet retaining his spot, but Kolo Toure is back in the starting eleven at the expense of Daniel Agger; the Danish center half drops to the bench while the former Manchester City man earns a berth beside Martin Skrtel in the heart of the Reds defence. Jon Flanagan also hangs onto his spot on the left flank while Glen Johnson has been charged with keeping things tight — and adding some extra attacking flair — on the right.
Reds skipper Steven Gerrard is joined by Lucas and Jordan Henderson in the midfield. It’s expected that Gerrard will be playing in a more advanced role with Philippe Coutinho on the bench. Daniel Sturridge left training on crutches on Friday so he’s nowhere near the squad, but Victor Moses and Raheem Sterling have come into the side with a view to impressing the manager. Linking up well with Luis Suarez could be the key to more time on the pitch, so we’ll see how they fare against the hosts.
From the bench, Brendan Rodgers will be able to call on Brad Jones, Daniel Agger, Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas, Philippe Coutinho, Mamadou Sakho and Joe Allen.
On the other side of the pitch, Hull City manager Steve Bruce has called upon former Rangers ‘keeper Alan McGregor to keep the prolific visitors at bay. Ahmed Al-Muhammadi, Maynor Figueroa, Curtis Davies and Alex Bruce make up the Tigers backline while David Meyler, former Tottenham man Tom Huddlestone, on-loan Spurs player Jake Livermore, Robbie Brady and Robert Koren make up the midfield. Frenchman Yannick Sagbo will plow a lone furrow up top for the hosts as the former Lyon man looks to find his scoring boots.
Should they be needed, Bruce has Steve Harper, Liam Rosenior, Abdoulaye Faye, James Chester, Danny Graham, George Boyd and Gedo in reserve.
Be sure to pop by after the match for a full review and other assorted goodies.
