Jurgen Klopp could hand James Milner a surprise start in midfield tonight as Liverpool take on Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Joining Thiago Alcantara on the sidelines, Jordan Henderson and Stefan Bajcetic have both been ruled out injured for the second leg of the Reds’ last-16 Champions League tie.
This leaves Klopp short of options in the middle of the park, causing a selection headache ahead of tonight’s game.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Fabinho will be sure to start in the XI, as he accompanied the manager for his pre-match press duties yesterday.
Alongside the Brazilian, the Echo believe Harvey Elliott will keep his place in the side. The 19-year-old has been very impressive in recent weeks, as he has shown a huge maturity in his performances.
Milner could start vs Madrid – RTK View
To top off the trio in midfield, James Milner could make a surprise start at the Bernabeu.
With numerous injuries in the position, there’s only a couple of players who could realistically feature.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been out of favour for months now, so he remains an unlikely option for Klopp to pick.
Therefore, this leaves Milner and Naby Keita.
The Guinea international has been absent due to injury over the past few weeks, but he returned to training in time to face Madrid.
However, before this injury, he was out of form. He had subsequently lost his place in the team.
Thus, with a more defensive option needed alongside Elliott, all of this suggests Milner will start tonight.
The 37-year-old, who has been hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by John Aldridge, will bring experience to the midfield.
His defensive acumen will be of upmost importance to the side, so Milner can be expected to lead Liverpool out as captain tonight.