Liverpool lineup vs. Newcastle: Predicted XI for Premier League clash as Arne Slot's right-back decided

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot faces the worst kind of right-back dilemma for Saturday's Premier League clash with Newcastle United at Anfield.

The Reds may be without as many as five defenders for the visit of the Magpies, after Jeremie Frimpong came off with a suspected hamstring problem in Wednesday's 6-0 Champions League victory over Qarabag.

Slot has already ruled out the possibility of Frimpong appearing on Saturday, when Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni will also be missing with knee injuries, while Ibrahima Konate (personal) and Joe Gomez (head) both face races against time to make the cut.

To make matters worse, Curtis Jones - another auxiliary right-back option - sat out the Qarabag success with an illness and is also not guaranteed to be available for gameweek 24.

Slot has one final like-for-like replacement for Frimpong in Calvin Ramsay, but the Scotsman has not played a single minute of Premier League football this season, so the head coach may side with Dominik Szoboszlai as an emergency option instead.

The Hungarian is free to drop deeper thanks to Mohamed Salah's recent reinstatement, and the former could be part of a rearguard also featuring Wataru Endo - Frimpong's replacement in midweek - at centre-back.

Should the Japan international indeed be drafted into the XI, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister will reprise their double-pivot partnership, behind an unchanged attacking quartet; ex-Magpies striker Alexander Isak will miss out on a reunion with his old club due to his leg fracture.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Szoboszlai, Endo, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike

> Click here to see how Newcastle could line up for this game