Jurgen Klopp has questions to answer ahead of Liverpool's Champions League trip to Porto

Alex Broun 18:17 13/02/2018
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  • With Liverpool recording a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Southampton on the weekend, the Reds now head to the imposing Estadio do Dragao to face Porto, who are unbeaten in 20 Primeira Liga games so far this season – 16 wins and four draws.

    Here are our talking points ahead of the crucial Round of 16 Champions League clash:

    Klopp has midfield issues as Can can’t

    With Emre Can suspended due to too many yellow cards in the group stages Jurgen Klopp has some tricky decisions to make in the midfield.

    A fit-again Jordan Henderson was rested against Southampton and should start in the centre of the midfield but who will be alongside him?

    Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was poor on his return to St Mary’s and was withdrawn on the hour mark so unless Klopp was resting him as well, expect Gini Wijnaldum to start on the right with the ever-reliable James Milner on the left.

    Both Wijnaldum and Milner have their flaws, the former tending to go missing when the battle heats up in midfield and the latter looking a few yards off the pace several times this year, but the only other option is injury-prone Adam Lallana and that is a risk Klopp is unlikely to take from the start.

    Dejan Lovren may come in for Joel Matip

    Dejan Lovren may come in for Joel Matip in defence.

    Who partners VVD at the back?

    No Liverpool fan needs reminding that defence remains the Reds Achilles’ heel this season, and no sooner have they put one good performance together (such as Southampton) than they have fallen in a heap (such as the last ten minutes against Spurs).

    Reds supporters will meet with great trepidation talk that Klopp plans to partner the improving Virgil van Dijk against Porto with Mr Air-swing himself, Dejan Lovren.

    Lovren’s mistakes have been spectacular this season – even more so than last season – with his regular gaffes leading to Liverpool giving up crucial points in the Premier League though he can’t be blamed for either the FA Cup exit against West Brom or the Carabao Cup demise against Leicester as he didn’t start in either match.

    Joel Matip, it can be argued, was not much better against Southampton and for Klopp it really is a choice between the lesser of two evils – Lovren or Matip – with Ragnar Klavan being usurped by Van Dijk in the left centre-half role.

    The thought of Alberto Moreno making an appearance on the left of the back four is a terrifying thought, especially after his personal calamity against WBA, but surely Klopp can not make that mistake again of starting the haphazard Spaniard in such a crucial tie.

    Andrew Robertson has made nearly every post a winner in his first season at Liverpool and is arguably the in-form left full-back in the Premier league.

    The Scot must start with probably Joe Gomez (20) getting the nod on the right ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold (19) as Klopp rotates his young defenders.

    Roberto Firmino love to play in orange.

    Roberto Firmino loves to play in orange.

    All in orange

    Odd as it may sound, Reds fans will be happy not to see Liverpool wearing red on Wednesday night. Rather they will prefer the bright orange third strip which has been decidedly lucky for Liverpool this season.

    The Reds have worn it five times without defeat this term: four wins – 7-0 v Maribor, 4-1 v West Ham, 3-0 Stoke and 2-0 Southampton – and one draw, the  3-3 thriller with Arsenal.

    Wijnaldum and Van Dijk already know orange well as they play in it for their national team, the Netherlands, but the way the team plays when they are wearing it – Klopp, the rest of the squad (and supporters) are no doubt warming to it as well.

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