Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Inter: Salah Left Out at San Siro

Arne Slot has left Mohamed Salah out of his travelling squad to Milan.

Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot’s relationship is on the rocks. / Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Liverpool have an almighty Champions League challenge on the horizon and they’ll voluntarily be without the man responsible for facilitating so much success on such occasions over the years.

Mohamed Salah’s explosive comments after Saturday’s 3–3 draw with Leeds United have resulted in the Egyptian staying at home while the Reds travel to Milan on Tuesday night.

Arne Slot has opted to veer away from total reliance on Salah in recent weeks, with the all-time Liverpool great playing just 45 minutes over the Reds’ previous three outings. The results have hardly been convincing, but Slot has at least stopped the rot.

Now, they’re heading to the home of last season’s Champions League finalists hoping to secure an unlikely triumph. Here’s the team Slot could pick in Salah’s absence.

HENRY WINTER. Winter Salah Slot. Liverpool Must Now Do What’s Necessary in Salah, Slot Debacle. dark

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Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Inter (4-2-3-1)

Hugo Ekitiké scored twice in Saturday’s 3–3 draw. / Alex Livesey/Getty Images

GK: Alisson—If Liverpool are to claim what would be a surprise victory in Milan, they may well require a vintage Alisson display.

RB: Conor Bradley—Bradley returned from injury at the weekend, and his comfort in advanced areas means the dynamic down the right should be smoother in Salah’s absence.

CB: Joe Gomez—The calamitous Ibrahima Konaté has to come out of the XI, with the Frenchman costing his team again on Saturday night. Gomez is an able replacement.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—Konaté’s instability hasn’t helped Van Dijk, who’s also having a poor season. Inter will seek to take advantage of the Dutchman’s demise.

LB: Milos Kerkez—Slot’s getting close to nothing from his two left backs this term, so it doesn’t really matter what direction he goes in on Tuesday night. Come home, Kostas Tsimikas!

CM: Ryan Gravenberch—The lynchpin of Liverpool’s team makes it by default. Positional discipline in midfield is key against an Inter side that rotates so freely and often empties central areas to open up passing lanes into their frontmen.

CM: Curtis Jones—Jones deserves to keep his place over Alexis Mac Allister, who could be physically overwhelmed in Milan. Jones, while no athletic phenom, will at least help Liverpool resist pressure and get them upfield.

RW: Dominik Szoboszlai—It was a stodgy connection with Gomez, but Bradley’s return should aid Szoboszlai in this role. The Hungarian scored Liverpool’s third at the weekend.

AM: Florian Wirtz—The glimpses of Wirtz’s magic are starting to become more frequent, and the German has generally looked more comfortable in this competition compared to the Premier League in Liverpool red.

LW: Hugo Ekitiké—Slot rarely operates without Cody Gakpo, but it’s time for the Dutchman to sit out. Instead, Ekitiké could function in a fluid role down the left that’d allow him to work closely with Liverpool’s frontman.

ST: Alexander Isak—Isak appeared off the bench on Saturday while Ekitiké scored twice. We’ve rarely seen them work together this season, but this could be a game for it.

No Salah but Isak returns to Slot’s XI. / FotMo

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