Liverpool will be out to bounce back from their dramatic injury-time defeat to Manchester City as they head to Wearside to take on Sunderland on Wednesday at 8:15pm.
The pressure continues to build on Arne Slot and his side as they slipped to an eighth Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday afternoon. They now face a tough test against a Sunderland side who remarkably remain unbeaten at home in the league this season.
Liverpool predicted lineup vs Sunderland
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Jones, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike.
Liverpool team news vs Sunderland
While Liverpool search desperately for some consistency in the Premier League, they also find themselves searching for yet another makeshift solution to their right-back problem with the latest deputy right-back ruled out.
Dominik Szoboszlai will miss the trip to Sunderland after his dramatic red card for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity during the defeat to Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
With Jeremie Frimpong still sidelined with a thigh injury and Connor Bradley not due to return until the 2026/27 campaign, Arne Slot will be hoping Joe Gomez can recover quicker than expected to slot in at right-back this Wednesday evening.
However, that seems unlikely and someone like Curtis Jones or even Andy Robertson may be forced to do a job out of position against the Black Cats.
Youngster Giovanni Leone has also been ruled out for the rest of the season while the Premier League’s most expensive signing of all-time, striker Alexander Isak, is not due to return to training for the Reds just yet so Hugo Ekitike will continue to lead the line as the central striker here.
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Champions League chase on for Reds
As the clock ticked into the final ten minutes at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, Liverpool’s hopes of securing Champions League qualification for next season looked set to be given a huge boost as the Reds led rivals Manchester City thanks to Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick.
However, a Bernardo Silva equaliser and a 93rd minute Erling Haaland penalty turned the game on it’s head, before more drama after that winning spot-kick saw a third City goal disallowed – but Szoboszlai sent off for deliberately attempting to deny a goalscoring opportunity.
That leaves the Reds with just one win to their name in their last seven Premier League outings and four points behind fifth-placed Chelsea as they look to at least secure Champions League football for next season, with their title defence left in tatters some time ago.
However, the Blues have won four games on the bounce now – as have fourth-placed Manchester United and both sides appear to be finding the kind of consistency that has eluded Slot’s side throughout the 2025/26 Premier League season.
A victory here is pivotal for Slot not only in ensuring his side remain within touching distance for a top five finish but also for his own sake, with pressure starting to build and some big-name managers currently looking for a new role.