Liverpool could finally unleash Mane, Salah & Firmino in Everton clash

The first of what is likely to be Liverpool's nine games across December starts with none other than the Merseyside derby on Wednesday night.

The Reds will host their historic local rivals, Everton, for what is the 234th meeting between the pair and the very first to be broadcast on Amazon Prime.

The Premier League leaders head into this one in some form, having won 13 of their 14 games so far to open up an eight-point advantage at the top.

Perhaps more than any other club, however, Wednesday's visitors will be desperate to put a big dent in those Anfield hopes of ending a 30-year wait for a domestic title.

Everton, though, haven't won at the home of their red rivals since September 1999 and Liverpool have rarely been in as lofty a position as they are now in those two decades since that 1-0 win.

So, with a hectic schedule now upon Jurgen Klopp and his players, how will the Reds boss shuffle his pack in an attempt to conserve energy levels and keep the fringe players hungry?

Midfield tweaks?

We'll start with what is usually the dilemma for Klopp; his midfield.

There's no Fabinho for the next six to eight weeks, meaning there could be a slight tweak to the roles of either Jordan Henderson or Gini Wijnaldum at Anfield on Wednesday night. Both are capable of operating as a No.6, even if neither offer the same robust protection Fabinho does.

It could be a chance for the evergreen James Milner and his vast reserves of big-game experience, too. The 33-year-old is often summoned for when the big fixtures come around and this may be another chance for him in the heat of the midfield battle.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a man in good form and pressed his claims considerably with a good display against Brighton on Saturday afternoon.

The former Arsenal man was unfortunate to be withdrawn for Adrian as Klopp brought on the goalkeeper following Alisson Becker's sending off.

Naby Keita is also an option, but with so little football under his belt over the last six months, he may be used from the substitutes' bench. Adam Lallana is aiming to reinvent himself as a defensive midfielder, but he is unlikely to be named in place of Fabinho for this crucial fixture.

Defensive continuity

At right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to keep his place after a couple of assists for Virgil van Dijk against Brighton. The England international was sorely missed against Napoli on Wednesday.

Virgil van Dijk could be in a position to parade the Ballon d'Or trophy around Anfield, pre-match, depending on events in Paris on Monday and Dejan Lovren is likely to continue his good form alongside him with Andy Robertson at left-back.

Curiously, for a team riding so high at present, Liverpool have only kept two clean sheets all season. Wins at Burnley and Sheffield United were recorded without Alisson and the Brazil international will once more sit it out as he serves his one-game suspension. In his place comes Adrian.

Same again up top

Xherdan Shaqiri is back fit for the Reds, but again, with so little football this season, this is highly unlikely to be his first Premier League start of the season. Divock Origi - the man who broke Everton hearts in this fixture last season with a 96th-minute winner - will be forced to settle for a place on the bench.

That means Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino can all expect to maintain their places up top. Interestingly, since they have all been at Liverpool, Everton have only had to deal with them starting in the same game once in five.

Even then, last year's 1-0 win at Anfield was a 4-2-3-1 formation with Shaqiri operating on the right and Firmino behind Salah as the central striker. It was not the perfectly in-sync, dovetailing front three that have fired the Reds to back-to-back Champions League finals.

It remains a curious quirk that Klopp is yet to unleash his much-vaunted attack on the Blues from the start of any derby over the last two years.

Klopp may belatedly pull the trigger on starting a trio who have blasted in a combined 183 goals between them as Liverpool players.