Liverpool are preparing for what feels like a potentially season-defining trip to face Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
The Reds lost against Forest back in September, a defeat which remains their only one in the Premier League all season.
While another would be a seismic blow to their chances of ending the year as champions, a win would be an almighty boost for morale.
After a gloomy couple of performances for Liverpool over recent weeks, the mood has already been lifted by an enjoyable 4-0 win over Accrington Stanley on Saturday.
On what was a wholly positive day for all involved, the sight of Federico Chiesa scoring his first ever Liverpool goal was perhaps the biggest plus of all.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has since confirmed that Chiesa is ready to stay and fight for his place at Anfield, and Tuesday’s game at Forest looks set to present him with another opportunity to kick on.
Federico Chiesa jumps up the pecking order
Part of Chiesa’s problem in getting minutes at Liverpool this season has been fitness related.
The 27-year-old had no proper pre-season with Juventus and Arne Slot wanted to take his time getting Chiesa up to speed.
However, another, sometimes overlooked issue for Chiesa has been the depth of quality within the Liverpool squad.
Getting game time beyond the likes of Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz has been virtually impossible.
Even the much-maligned Darwin Nunez has been well ahead of Chiesa in the pecking order.
However, Nunez is suspended for Tuesday’s game. That should mean Chiesa becoming Slot’s fifth-choice in attack at the City Ground. With the Liverpool head coach tending to change two forwards during games, it feels like it could be a big night for Fede.
Chiesa can turn his Liverpool career around
Although there is no guarantee that Slot brings Chiesa on at any point on Tuesday, the Italian looks better placed than ever to get Premier League minutes in Nottingham.
Diogo Jota hailed Chiesa as being ‘dangerous‘ against Accrington and his good performance should mean he is firmly in Slot’s thoughts.
The official Liverpool X account also shared footage of Chiesa looking sharp during training on Monday, as the No.14 aims to really get his Reds career started.
With Tuesday’s match feeling hugely significant in the Premier League title race, it could be the perfect platform for Chiesa to come in and make his mark.
Without Nunez in his way, we think there’s every chance that he gets on the pitch. The rest will be up to him.
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