Andoni Iraola is expected to name his first competitive Liverpool team against Newcastle United this weekend, with Alexander Isak set to make his debut against his former club.
Isak returns to St James' Park
Due to injuries and fixture scheduling, Isak has not faced Newcastle since his record £125million transfer last summer. The Swede was still a Newcastle player when the sides met at St James' Park last August, where Rio Ngumoha scored a late winner for Liverpool after the hosts had fought back from 2-0 down with ten men.
In the reverse fixture at Anfield, a 4-1 win for Liverpool, Isak watched from the sidelines as he recovered from a broken leg sustained before Christmas against Tottenham. His return to the North East is expected to be frosty, especially after he went on strike to force through his move.
Midfield dilemma and defensive debut
Isak is set to be supported by a midfield trio of Ngumoha, Florian Wirtz, and most likely Cody Gakpo, assuming no winger like Bradley Barcola is signed before the game. In central midfield, Alexis Mac Allister is short of fitness after an extended post-World Cup break, while Curtis Jones has been linked with a move to Inter Milan.
That leaves Trey Nyoni and Ryan Gravenberch competing to start alongside Dominik Szoboszlai. The youngster has impressed in pre-season, and a start would show significant faith from Iraola. At the back, loan signing Ronald Araujo is guaranteed to partner captain Virgil van Dijk, with Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez at full-back.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Frimpong, Araujo, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Nyoni, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.
