Liverpool vs. Watford: Team News, Livestream, TV Info, Ticket News
After booking their place in the UEFA Europa League final with a 3-1 aggregate win over Villarreal on Thursday, Liverpool turn their attention back to the Premier League, as they will host Quique Sanchez Flores' Watford at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
The Hornets are in a strong position during their first campaign back in the English top flight, having secured survival with a 3-2 comeback victory at home to Aston Villa last time out, and they can set their sights on a top-half finish, vying with Chelsea, Stoke City, Everton and Swansea City for ninth and 10th place.
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Flores' side overwhelmed the Reds at Vicarage Road in December, with a woeful performance from stand-in goalkeeper Adam Bogdan allowing Nathan Ake and Odion Ighalo to put Liverpool to the sword.
This 3-0 result has remained stuck in Klopp's throat, as the German referenced it in his pre-match press conference, telling reporters his side were "not allowed to do it twice."
So can Klopp inspire his side to a win at the second time of asking, or will Watford make it two wins from two against the Reds in their first season back in the Premier League?
Date: Sunday, May 8
Time: 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
TV Info: N/A
Livestream: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S. only)
Form Lines (Last 5 Games)
Liverpool: W-D-L-L-W
Watford: D-W-L-L-W
Team News
Speaking to journalists at Melwood on Friday morning, Klopp referenced the toll that Thursday night's Europa League exploits with have taken on his squad, suggesting he would make a "few changes" to his side against Watford—though not with the Europa League final in mind:
"We will have a few changes for sure and we will try do everything to win this game. We respect this league, we want to have the best position we can get at the end of the season.
I have made no decision until now so let me see, let me talk to everybody and then we will see. We don’t have to rest players on Sunday for the [final] 10 days later.
It’s about how the game was yesterday, it was quite intense how everybody could see, so we need to think about this and not Wednesday week.
"
Whether Klopp will make wholesale changes, as he did the previous weekend for Liverpool's trip to take on Swansea City, seems unlikely, having suffered a deflating 3-1 loss at the Liberty Stadium.
Looking to triumph over the Hornets, Klopp can be expected to field some of his big-name players, but Danny Ings, Jordan Henderson and Divock Origi are among those still out of contention.
Ings has returned to full training after an ACL injury, but Klopp is approaching his recovery with caution. Henderson (knee) and Origi (ankle) can harbour faint hopes of returning for the clash with Sevilla later in May.
Academy midfielder Jordan Rossiter has also returned to first-team training, but will likely miss out, while Joe Gomez is set to miss the rest of the season despite beginning outdoor work as he comes back from his own ACL injury.
Meanwhile, Flores can select from a near full-strength Watford squad as he pushes for a double over Klopp, with Valon Behrami (rib) and Etienne Capoue (knee) his only notable absentees for the trip to Merseyside.
Full-backs Ake and Allan Nyom could return to feature, with Flores telling Watford's official website he was looking for his side to remain "competitive" despite having sealed their place in next season's Premier League:
"Liverpool are an amazing team, they've had a good run and they have a lot of good players. Anfield is an amazing stadium, so we need to be competitive because the other team is very powerful.
In this moment it depends on us—how is our ambition, how is our idea to try to add points in every single match we have to play.It is necessary to show everyone that we are still fighting in this competition, still with ambition and still with the idea to win the next games.
"
If Flores keeps the same side as the one that defeated Villa last time out, he would include eight of the players who tasted victory over the Reds at Vicarage Road in December, but if Nyom and Ake return, only Spanish midfielder Mario Suarez will be new to the fixture.
Predicted Lineups
Klopp is set to name a balanced lineup of youthful faces and more regular names, strong enough to avoid a second defeat to Flores' Watford.
Goalkeeper Danny Ward could come in for Simon Mignolet, however, with Lucas Leiva or Martin Skrtel also capable of filling in at centre-back if Klopp wishes to rest 35-year-old Kolo Toure.
Nathaniel Clyne and Alberto Moreno are likely to continue at right-back and left-back respectively, with Connor Randall showing his inexperience in Liverpool's recent 2-2 draw with Newcastle United and Brad Smith sent off in the defeat to Swansea.
If Lucas moves into defence, Klopp could call upon Kevin Stewart and Joe Allen at the base of his 4-2-3-1, while Jordon Ibe, Adam Lallana and Sheyi Ojo could form a fluid attacking line behind Christian Benteke.
Flores, meanwhile, is unlikely to make many changes to his side for this clash with the Reds, with Nyom and Ake the only feasible alterations.
Therefore, this should see Heurelho Gomes continue in goal behind Nyom, Ake, Craig Cathcart and Miguel Britos, with Suarez, Ben Watson and Almen Abdi forming a compact, three-man midfield.
Jose Manuel Jurado is poised to continue in the No. 10 role, though January signing Nordin Amrabat provides Flores with a useful alternative.
Ighalo and Troy Deeney, Flores' reliable attacking stalwarts throughout 2015/16, should keep their places up front.
Likely Liverpool XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Lucas, Lovren, Moreno; Allen, Stewart; Ibe, Lallana, Ojo; Benteke.
Likely Watford XI: Gomes; Nyom, Cathcart, Britos, Ake; Suarez, Watson, Abdi, Jurado; Ighalo, Deeney.
Players to Watch
Christian Benteke
With Ings returning from injury, Origi showing his promise before his layoff and Daniel Sturridge hitting form at the business end of the season, the likelihood of Benteke remaining on Merseyside beyond the summer is getting increasingly slim.
The Belgian finds himself playing a bit-part role under Klopp at Liverpool, and though he insisted in interview with LFCTV that he would "fight until the end" for his place (h/t the club's website), he is unlikely to receive much opportunity to do so.
If Klopp opts to rest Sturridge against Watford, however, Benteke has a chance to impress—and possibly put himself in the shop window.
Troy Deeney
In a period of constant unrest at Watford, with managerial changes and personnel overhauls a yearly occurrence, one player remains to give the club its enduring identity: their captain, Deeney.
A straight-talking, hardworking centre-forward, Deeney serves as an admirable figurehead for the club, and backing this up with impressive displays on the pitch, he could well outlast the majority of his team-mates at Vicarage Road.
The 27-year-old scored a late double to snatch an unlikely over Villa in the club's most recent match and will be looking to add to his tally at Anfield.
Key Battle
Deeney and Ighalo vs. Liverpool's Centre-Backs
"The most impressive thing about our performance today is that we bullied them," Deeney told TalkSport after December's 3-0 win over Liverpool. "They just didn’t fancy the fight.
"We scored after a few minutes which settled the nerves and then we dominated. Skrtel went off, he didn’t fancy it, and it was a great victory."
Though brash in his execution, Deeney was astute in his assessment of that victory in Hertfordshire, with the physicality of Deeney and Ighalo proving too much for Liverpool centre-backs Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho.
For Watford, the strikers are likely to be the same as that day, but Klopp could well serve up a different pair of centre-backs, and the strength and resolve of Lucas and Lovren would be tested against one of the Premier League's most formidable attacking partnerships.
Odds
Liverpool: 13-25
Watford: 13-2
Draw: 71-20
Odds according to Odds Shark and correct at time of writing.
Ticket Information
For ticket information on all Premier League games visit the official site or go to the ticket page on Liverpool's official website. Secondary ticket information for Liverpool can be found here.
