We have a championship race on our hands only a few months after Liverpool appeared to have lost the title to Man City once more, and Jurgen Klopp’s side is showing no signs of wavering in their chase of an unprecedented quadruple.
Just before the international break, Liverpool advanced to the FA Cup semi-finals thanks to Diogo Jota’s close-range goal against Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool are currently within touching distance of Man City, having suffered only one defeat in any tournament since the turn of the year, an insignificant loss to Inter Milan on their own grounds.
Although Roy Hodgson’s time in the home dugout at Anfield was brief, the 74-year-old is no stranger to taking his place in the away end, and he may have discovered a hidden gem in his side’s bid to avoid relegation.
Cucho Hernandez scored twice for Watford in a critical 2-1 victory against Southampton at St Mary’s, only a few weeks after his amazing but insignificant bicycle kick against Arsenal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, a Liverpool defender, is struggling to recover from a hamstring injury in time for Saturday’s game, but a midweek match against Benfica is a more realistic goal for the Premier League’s leading creator.
After withdrawing out of international duty with a “small” knee injury, Naby Keita will need to be assessed, but James Milner and Andy Robertson are anticipated to be available again following recent COVID-19 illnesses.
With Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane both going the distance in their crucial World Cup qualifiers, Klopp may want to shuffle a little for Saturday’s encounter, since Liverpool has a tough run of matches during the Easter season.
Jeremy Ngakia was once again absent for Watford’s triumph against Southampton, but he should be fit to play here, while Nicolas Nkoulou might possibly make an appearance.
To keep the scoreline reasonable, Hodgson may be tempted to send in another defender or two, but the experienced manager has little need to change the winning recipe from St Mary’s.
In such a scenario, Hernandez would be joined in the final third by Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis, although Ismaila Sarr, who recovered from injury for Senegal during the international break, may push his way in.