Liverpool will be looking to make it two wins from two when they host Sunderland in a Premier League meeting.
Jeremie Frimpong will miss the clash, while Arne Slot has suggested three Liverpool players may not start
Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Joe Gomez returned to the eleven against West Ham after missing out versus PSV, but the trio might not be able to play three matches in six days.
With Isak and Wirtz potentially being rested at some point this week, fans may expect to see Mohamed Salah make his return.
Should Mohamed Salah start against Sunderland?
Paul Merson predicts Liverpool vs Sunderland result
The Egyptian has been told he can’t complain about being dropped by Slot for their most recent game.
It has also been suggested that Liverpool were more balanced without Salah in the team.
Now, when making his score prediction for the fixture, Paul Merson has told Sportskeeda he’d be shocked if the 33-year-old was brought back into the eleven on Wednesday.
Merson predicted a 2-1 win for the Reds and said: “I’d be shocked if Arne Slot decides to bring Mohamed Salah back into the Liverpool team for this game. That isn’t the right thing to do. He was dropped for a reason and Liverpool won.
“Salah needs to be on the bench to get back to his best. You can’t keep picking players based on how good they were in the past. Slot made the right decision to drop Salah in the last game and he should stick to it.
“There is no way Liverpool are finishing outside the top four this season. I expect them to win this game and secure three more points.”
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Liverpool and Sunderland head-to-head record
Given that Sunderland have spent many years in the EFL, Wednesday’s meeting will be the first since 2017.
The Black Cats were a struggling Premier League team at the time, flirting with relegation for many years.
As a result, it’s not surprising to see the Reds have dominated this fixture in recent times.
- January 10, 2015: Sunderland vs Liverpool 0-1 (Premier League)
- December 30, 2015: Sunderland vs Liverpool 0-1 (Premier League)
- February 6, 2016: Liverpool vs Sunderland 2-2 (Premier League)
- November 26, 2016: Liverpool vs Sunderland 2-0 (Premier League)
- January 2, 2017: Sunderland vs Liverpool 2-2 (Premier League)
Liverpool have not lost a game against Sunderland in any competition since March 10, 2012, when they were beaten 1-0 in the Premier League.
Nicklas Bendtner scored the only goal of the match, and Kenny Dalglish was in the Reds’ dugout.
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