Paul Merson has made his prediction for the big game between Liverpool and Chelsea and believes Jurgen Klopp should drop Cody Gakpo for the clash.
The Reds host the Blues on Saturday with both sides struggling down in mid-table, 10 points off the top four.
Many believe that defeat in this game will end the club’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League and as such Klopp and Graham Potter will be determined to get all three points and nothing less.
The match at Anfield could well be decided by two big January signings, with Gakpo likely to start for Liverpool, while £88million winger Mykhailo Mudryk is expected to make his debut for Chelsea.
However, if it were up to Merson, World Cup star Gakpo would starting on the bench having been unimpressed with the 23-year-old winger since his £36m move from PSV.
‘Liverpool got blown away by Brighton the other day. I did mention that there was no way Brighton were going to lose that game, and they deserved to win,’ the Arsenal legend told Sportskeeda.
‘The Liverpool players who played against Wolves aren’t going to play on Saturday. Mohamed Salah isn’t closing down like he used to.
‘They need to go back to closing down and winning the ball high up the pitch – they’re not doing that at all at the moment.
‘Cody Gakpo’s been struggling a bit so far – I can’t remember players for Holland coming in and ripping it up in the Premier League in the last couple of years.
‘He’ll need time, and he might need to come out of the team for a game or two.’
Having scored 13 goals and made 17 assists in just 24 games for PSV before his move, Liverpool fans have been left disappointed after Gakpo failed to record a single coal contribution in his first three matches for the Reds.
As for the big game itself, Merson believes it could go either way, adding: ‘Ninth place against tenth place – is this a big game?
‘I’ll go as far as to say that whoever loses this match is completely out of the Premier League top-four race. This is a massive game. The team that wins this game could go on a run and really push for a place in the top four.
‘This is going to be an interesting game. Chelsea have got injuries and aren’t playing great football, but if they can get through the first 20 minutes, they’ve got a chance.
‘Liverpool have got to hang in there and win matches until the likes of [Diogo] Jota and [Luis] Diaz are back. They need to get their confidence back up and get on a roll. There’s not a lot between these two teams, and I think this game will end in a draw.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
MORE : Kepa Arrizabalaga makes Mykhailo Mudryk prediction ahead of Chelsea vs Liverpool
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