You can never count out Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and this was once again proven against Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.
Down a goal with three minutes left in regulation, Liverpool scored twice thanks to two headers (one from Andy Robertson and one from Sadio Mane) to claim all three points and keep a six-point lead over Manchester City.
Now, the Reds go into a massive week in which they can take control of Champions League Group E with a win over Genk and Napoli loss or draw with Red Bull Salzburg. Liverpool will then face off with Manchester City Sunday in a huge Premier League fixture.
Klopp will be worried about the form of forward Mohamed Salah, who was replaced by Divock Origi in the second half. Salah has struggled to score at times this season with two of his league goals coming from the penalty spot.
Liverpool’s attack has been far more dictated by Mane’s performances and that could be partly due to an ankle injury Salah suffered at the hands of Leicester City before the October international break.
Genk will feel hard done by their previous meeting against Liverpool in the Champions League. The Reds went to Belgium and came away with a 4-1 win, but Genk did hold their own in the first half. Silly mistakes cost Genk in the end.
The Belgians have just one point from nine possible and need maximum points over their next three Group E games to ensure they progress to the knockout stage. It is highly unlikely that they will take nine points against Liverpool, Napoli, and Red Bull Salzburg, however.
Genk are out of form on the domestic front and go into the match winless in their last two league fixtures. A draw to Royal Antwerp was followed by a loss at the weekend to Eupen.
Liverpool sit on six points after three games with their only blemish being a loss against Napoli. The Reds could end Tuesday night on top of Group E with their own future in their hands.
Klopp has decisions to make on Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum. While the former scored against Tottenham Hotspur two weeks ago, there are some calling for him to be benched. Meanwhile, Wijnaldum looks tired and has struggled to put his mark on matches of late.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been in brilliant form for Liverpool but is still waiting to make a breakthrough in the starting XI in the Premier League. With a massive game against Manchester City up next in the league, Klopp could rotate his side on Tuesday night with the Ox taking a starting position.
Klopp is without centre-back Joel Matip for both Genk and Manchester City as the big man recovers from a knee issue. Dejan Lovren has filled in well in Matip’s absence. Xheran Shaqiri won’t be fit until after the November international break.
Liverpool may rotate their squad for Tuesday night, but the result will be the same as their last match against Genk. Expect over 2.5 goals scored as Liverpool win at Anfield.