Pre-season: Arne Slot Gives Liverpool Star His First Minutes in Predicted Lineup vs Arsenal

Arne Slot might give Diogo Jota his first minutes of Liverpool’s pre-season when they face Arsenal at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday morning.

Jota, who missed the initial two matches against Preston North End and Arsenal due to his participation with Portugal at Euro 2024, has recently rejoined the squad after Portugal’s quarter-final exit. He could potentially start the game.

In addition, 13 other players are still absent from the squad following their involvement in Euro 2024 or Copa America. So far, only Andrew Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai, Vitezslav Jaros, and Jota have returned to the team.

Curtis Jones had to leave the field with an injury in the 30th minute of their win over Betis. Although the extent of the injury is not yet clear, it is unlikely he will play on Thursday.

Ben Doak and Trey Nyoni have shown promise during pre-season, but both are questionable for the upcoming match as Slot seeks to manage their workload.

Slot’s defensive options are quite limited, with many regular starters still on holiday after the summer’s international tournaments.

As a result, Liverpool may field a weakened defense featuring Caoimhin Kelleher, Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Sepp Van den Berg, and Konstantinos Tsimikas.

However, several key players will be available for their match against the Gunners, with Mohamed Salah and Szoboszlai expected to start in the attacking lineup.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Kelleher; Bradley, Quansah, Van den Berg, Tsimikas; Endo, Morton; Salah, Szoboszlai, Elliott; Jota

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