RB Leipzig (AWAY) CL Round of 16

[Buzzo]

What are we thinking team wise? I cant see us going with anything other then Hendo and Kabak at the back.

We need legs in midfield though, so I would start with Ox. Thiago, Gini, Jones is a very slow midfield.

------------------------------------Becker------------------------------------------
Trent---------------Kabak-----------------------Hendo---------------------Robbo
-------------------------------------Gini--------------------------------------------
--------------------Thiago-------------------------Ox------------------------------
------------------------------------Bobby------------------------------------------
Mo----------------------------------------------------------------------------Sadio

[Tribute]

What are we thinking team wise? I cant see us going with anything other then Hendo and Kabak at the back.

We need legs in midfield though, so I would start with Ox. Thiago, Gini, Jones is a very slow midfield.

------------------------------------Becker------------------------------------------
Trent---------------Kabak-----------------------Hendo---------------------Robbo
-------------------------------------Gini--------------------------------------------
--------------------Thiago-------------------------Ox------------------------------
------------------------------------Bobby------------------------------------------
Mo----------------------------------------------------------------------------Sadio

...he tends to favour Shaq over Ox at the moment, but agree that he won't risk both new CBs playing and moving Hendo forward. Now Kabak is in, he needs playing time, so can't see Davies getting a sniff ahead of him.

[Buzzo]

...he tends to favour Shaq over Ox at the moment, but agree that he won't risk both new CBs playing and moving Hendo forward. Now Kabak is in, he needs playing time, so can't see Davies getting a sniff ahead of him.

Shaq is a player who always seems on the periphery. I want to see Ox get some game time, we need to stop playing the same team every week when we are in bad form.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I think Klopp will go with this assuming Fab and Milner do not pass their late fitness tests.


------------------------------------Alisson----------------------------------------
Trent---------------Kabak-----------------------Hendo---------------------Robbo
-------------------------------------Thiago------------------------------------------
--------------------Gini-------------------------Shaq------------------------------
------------------------------------Bobby------------------------------------------
Mo----------------------------------------------------------------------------Sadio



Midfield is going to be really busy as RBL are really strong in that department, and I think the team I would go with would be one gambling that a strong midfield covers up the weakened back line rather than playing a weakened backline and an under strength midfield against a team that attacks more their midfield and left back than anywhere else on the pitch.

Now if Fab passed his fitness test, then he would be straight back into the team for me too.

------------------------------------Alisson------------------------------------------
Trent---------------Kabak-----------------------Philips/Davies--------------Robbo
----------------------------------Hendo------------------------------------------
--------------------Gini-------------------------Thiago------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mo--------------------------------Firmino-------------------------------Mane


One thing I am fairly sure of is that a sitting back and inviting them onto us type strategy is not the way to go.

We need Trent to really be on his defensive game tonight as Angelino will be motoring up and down that flank all night from the LB slot and he is proving to be a serious goal and assist threat for them.

Nkunku and Sabitzer are going to be full of running and attacking intent in the middle and most likely Adams will be there as well if Olmo goes wide but he might go into the AM slot inside of a wide slot.

Hard to know what team they will put out though as they have made loads of changes the past few games and seem to be able to have players change position effectively with ease.

Do think that Nagelsmann has built a very Klopp like team with players that work very well as a unit with many of them capable of playing in a number of positions without losing much if anything from their game. Will be very interesting to see how his career goes but mad to think he is only 33 years of age and has already managed over 200 club games between his times at Hoffenheim and RBL.

[Mr Pink]

Was no chance of them selling him to us before the season ended. Same with any of their other defenders tbh. Cannot blame them either tbh given they were playing us next in the CL.

They’re also challenging Bayern for the the bundesliga- so you’d think they wouldn’t want to sell their best players to them... or at the very least, wait til the summer until ye do the business and announce it... they’re a joke of a club in a joke league... hope we ****in smash them, and lay down a CL marker

[Montana]

Has Fabinho travelled? I thought he was out of this completely

[Montana]

If we start well and get that crucial first goal, I can see an Atalanta type game where we score a hatful but will surely concede one or two too.

Mane is due a big performance and he normally delivers in big away European games

[Exiled_red]

I think Klopp will go with this assuming Fab and Milner do not pass their late fitness tests.


------------------------------------Alisson----------------------------------------
Trent---------------Kabak-----------------------Hendo---------------------Robbo
-------------------------------------Thiago------------------------------------------
--------------------Gini-------------------------Shaq------------------------------
------------------------------------Bobby------------------------------------------
Mo----------------------------------------------------------------------------Sadio



Midfield is going to be really busy as RBL are really strong in that department, and I think the team I would go with would be one gambling that a strong midfield covers up the weakened back line rather than playing a weakened backline and an under strength midfield against a team that attacks more their midfield and left back than anywhere else on the pitch.

Now if Fab passed his fitness test, then he would be straight back into the team for me too.

------------------------------------Alisson------------------------------------------
Trent---------------Kabak-----------------------Philips/Davies--------------Robbo
----------------------------------Hendo------------------------------------------
--------------------Gini-------------------------Thiago------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mo--------------------------------Firmino-------------------------------Mane


One thing I am fairly sure of is that a sitting back and inviting them onto us type strategy is not the way to go.

We need Trent to really be on his defensive game tonight as Angelino will be motoring up and down that flank all night from the LB slot and he is proving to be a serious goal and assist threat for them.

Nkunku and Sabitzer are going to be full of running and attacking intent in the middle and most likely Adams will be there as well if Olmo goes wide but he might go into the AM slot inside of a wide slot.

Hard to know what team they will put out though as they have made loads of changes the past few games and seem to be able to have players change position effectively with ease.

Do think that Nagelsmann has built a very Klopp like team with players that work very well as a unit with many of them capable of playing in a number of positions without losing much if anything from their game. Will be very interesting to see how his career goes but mad to think he is only 33 years of age and has already managed over 200 club games between his times at Hoffenheim and RBL.

Is Davies fit? I thought he was injured at the weekend, is he back and travelled?

[Buzzo]

Liverpool will need to check on the latest condition of James Milner (hamstring) and Fabinho (muscle), but both players were absent from the team training session that preceded their flight to Budapest.

Ben Davies, Divock Origi and Caoimhin Kelleher did participate in the workout, however, having missed Saturday's fixture at Leicester City with respective knocks.

Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip remain, of course, long-term absentees, while Diogo Jota is not yet ready to restart team training.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Is Davies fit? I thought he was injured at the weekend, is he back and travelled?

He travelled afaik and am guessing he is fit.

[Exiled_red]

He travelled afaik and am guessing he is fit.

OK cool

[Doc_Piptorious]

OK cool

Doubt he has any chance of playing, but whilst the smart thing would be to play safety first and put Henderson (or Fabinho on the off chance he passes fit) at CB, I would take a punk on Philips or Davies there beside Kabak. Maybe Phillips actually as I have no idea what Davies is like in the air.

My thinking is that whilst RBL tend to play the ball on the ground a lot, they do go long at times for the 6'4 Poulson to either head it down or to get it on his chest so he can hold it for the runners from deep, and was thinking a physical presence there might be no bad thing. Poulson might not be as aerially dominant as his height might suggest, but might not need to be against us if he can get one on one in the air with Henderson.

[rudedog]

Doubt he has any chance of playing, but whilst the smart thing would be to play safety first and put Henderson (or Fabinho on the off chance he passes fit) at CB, I would take a punk on Philips or Davies there beside Kabak. Maybe Phillips actually as I have no idea what Davies is like in the air.

My thinking is that whilst RBL tend to play the ball on the ground a lot, they do go long at times for the 6'4 Poulson to either head it down or to get it on his chest so he can hold it for the runners from deep, and was thinking a physical presence there might be no bad thing. Poulson might not be as aerially dominant as his height might suggest, but might not need to be against us if he can get one on one in the air with Henderson.

I'd take a punk too but would prefer a hazy jane

[Doc_Piptorious]

I'd take a punk too but would prefer a hazy jane

No point me trying for a ninja edit now.

[Irishnev]

We just need to stay in it tonight - next leg in 4 weeks and we will hopefully have more players back and others match fit. A 2-1 loss wouldn’t be the end of the world