Liverpool predicted line-up vs. Forest: Five major changes made from midweek with up to 14 players missing

Liverpool will return to Premier League action after a near-perfect week when the EFL Cup winners take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon – but they will once again have to make do without several key players, with no fewer than 14 senior squad members either out or doubtful including Mohamed Salah.

That means Jürgen Klopp may once again have to rely on some of his much-vaunted ‘kids’ to step up as Liverpool look for a sixth consecutive win, although there is plenty of cause to be optimistic about the condition of stars such as Darwin Núñez and Andrew Robertson.

Plenty of players won’t make the trip across to the East Midlands, however, so we’ve collected all of the latest team news and injury updates below and put together our best guess at Klopp’s likely starting line-up. If you’re also looking for information for your Fantasy Premier League team, you can read our high-flying manager’s guide to Gameweek 27 by clicking here.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Number one goalkeeper Alisson is not expected to be available again until after the March international break, with the home game against Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of the month the most optimistic date for a return to action. Caoimhín Kelleher will continue to deputise in goal.

Left-back Robertson, who has not long returned to action after suffering a dislocated shoulder, missed the 3-0 midweek win over Southampton with illness, and must be considered a doubt in the absence of further information, but it is not believed that he is seriously unwell. Trent Alexander-Arnold (knee) is another player who won’t play until after the international break, while Joël Matip’s season is over thanks to a cruciate ligament injury.

Midfield

The two major question marks in midfield hang over the heads of Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo. The Hungarian playmaker hasn’t been involved since January due to a hamstring problem but is believed to be close to a return and could feature against Forest – likewise, Japan international Endo might be fit despite missing the match against Southampton after he was spotted leaving Wembley on crutches thanks to an ankle injury.

Three central midfielders will certainly miss out. Curtis Jones (shin) could return at the end of the month, Ryan Gravenberch (ankle) will miss at least a couple of weeks but requires further tests before being given a return date, Stefan Bajčetić (calf) is continuing his rehabilitation and the unfortunate Thiago Alcântra (hamstring) may miss the rest of an injury-ravaged season.

Forwards

Some bad news after Klopp's press conference is that Salah will not play this weekend. He was described by the German head coach as "too far off but he will not feature tomorrow". There is a further doubt over the participation of Darwin, who along with Salah has not played since the rather pyrrhic 4-1 victory over Brentford which also cost Liverpool the services of Jones and Diogo Jota. Darwin was described as "touch and go" in the build-up to the Southampton match and has every chance of playing - but Klopp said the same about Salah prior to Wednesday's game.

Portuguese forward Jota will certainly miss out – no return date has been set after he sustained medial ligament damage but he will likely be out until April at the very least. Teenage winger Ben Doak (knee) is not expected to play again this season. Further details of the squad’s various injuries and expected return dates can be found here.

Predicted line-up vs. Nottingham Forest

Kelleher; Robertson, Van Dijk, Konaté, Bradley; Gomez, Mac Allister, Elliott; Díaz, Salah, Gakpo.