Liverpool must make two changes to their team if they are to secure a famous win against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night, according to James Pearce.
The Merseyside correspondent of the Echo claims Jurgen Klopp should recall James Milner and Joe Gomez to the starting line-up at the expense of Xherdan Shaqiri and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Pearce believes Liverpool need “experience in the centre of midfield” and he would go with the triumvirate of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum, who all started the 3-2 win over PSG at Anfield in September.
Pearce’s team (4-3-3): Alisson, Gomez, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Milner, Wijnaldum, Salah, Firmino, Mane.
OPINION
Pearce has his ear to the ground where all things Liverpool are concerned and he is unlikely to be too far wrong in terms of the composition of the starting XI to face PSG. The Merseysiders have started Xherdan Shaqiri on the right of the attack in the last two Premier League matches and he has provided a new dimension, which has allowed Roberto Firmino to drop into a second striker role behind Mohamed Salah as the spearhead. Such an aggressive tactic against a side of such attacking potential as PSG would be too gung-ho from Klopp, despite his claim at his media conference on Tuesday that his players can’t afford to be on the backfoot for too long in Paris. What stood out in Liverpool’s outstanding performance at Anfield in September against Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and company was how quickly the midfielders recovered the ball and stopped PSG from hoarding too much possession. Milner has been on the fringes of late, but he was brilliant in the first few months of the season and has the defensive qualities that Shaqiri just doesn’t possess.