Key events
10 mins: Barkley loses control of the ball and does the classic thing to make up for it by fouling Jota but Liverpool are allowed to play on. It does not help much as Nunez pings a shot over.
8 mins: Van Dijk half clears a cross straight to Morris, he takes a touch and looks to curl a shot at goal but it does not make the distance thanks to a defensive block.
Luton are getting into this a little. I say this as Konate dribbles the ball about 60 yards up the pitch, only to be stopped (just about) legally on the edge of the Luton box.
6 mins: A throw is taken to Barkley on the left, he cuts inside and drives a shot towards goal from the edge of the box but it is straight at Alisson.
Nunez does similar down the end but takes aim for the far post and Kaminski pushes it wide.
Richard Hirst suggests: “The quality of the Liverpool bench suggests Man City are going to be taken all the way this season (and yes, I did mean to pass over Spurs and Arsenal).”
4 mins: A lovely Alexander-Arnold cross is well defended by Mengi to prevent Jota tapping home at the far post.
Mengi went to the same east Manchester school that I did. Good to use this tedious fact so early on.
2 mins: Liverpool have enjoyed pretty much all of the early possession without any threat. I have enjoyed the camera being on top of the near touchline.
“Good morning from Pittsburgh!” Good morning Eric Peterson. “Sundays are usually a day to decompress from the stress of being an Everton fan – at least, until one sees a preamble that mentions the source of Luton’s only win of the season (I know you’re just doing your job, Will). I now embark on 90 minutes of guilty angst knowing that a Liverpool win would keep Everton six points clear of the relegation zone – in other words, halfway toward the margin needed to overcome the 12-point deduction that very well may be in Everton’s future. I need a nap.”
I provide a service, a very irritating service.
Kick-off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
The players are out on the pitch and Kenilworth Road is bouncing.
“Watching the buildup to the match on USA Network,” says Joe Pearson. “Wow, those Luton warmups are something!”
They’re a jazzy outfit.
Dean Kinsella emails: “Gotta say that I like the look of this Liverpool team. There’s potentially a lot of goals up front, the midfield look solid as a rock and those are very good defenders who are coming back from a bit of a dip last season (largely due to weak defensive midfield cover). Defo a top 4 probabilty this season.”
Edwards: “I haven’t slept much preparing for this. It is a magnificent game for us, a great occasion for the supporters. It is a bigger game than any we’ve had this season.
“We hope the crowd is factor. It is tight, it can be intimidating. Home performances have been good and I think we should have had a few more points here.”
Klopp on Luis Diaz: “It is very emotional but Luis decided three days he wanted to come training. The training ground is a safe place for the boys. He can come in and forget things for a few hours. The situation is positive, as I understand, talks are ongoing but it seems positive. On the training ground he was fine and that’s why it is here.”
On the ground: “The pitch is more than good but the dressing room is like a camp for Mount Everest. We just need a room to change, it does not need to be a five star hotel. Some had to change in the hotel but that’s all fine.”
A win for Liverpool today would send them to second in the table, as Tottenham are playing against Chelsea on Monday.
Curtis Jones misses out over a fitness issue and is not risked.
Luton’s midfield are in for a tricky afternoon. The Liverpool trio of Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai are a pretty exciting combination to watch.
Andros Townsend starts a competitve match for the first time in 18 months! I did suggest this should happen in ‘Things to look out for this weekend’, so I will celebrate my genius.
Luis Diaz returns to the Liverpool squad following the kidnap of his father in Colombia.
Starting lineups
Luton: Kaminski, Kabore, Osho, Lockyer, Mengi, Doughty, Nakamba, Ogbene, Barkley, Morris, Townsend.
Subs: Krul, Adebayo, Chong, Mpanzu, Clark, Brown, Giles, Nelson, Luker.
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Gomez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Salah, Jota, Nunez.
Subs: Kelleher, Endo, Diaz, Gakpo, Elliott, Tsimikas, Matip, Doak, Quansah.
Preamble
It’s been so long since Luton beat Liverpool at Kenilworth Road that they were playing on the infamous artificial surface. Iain Dowie scored twice that day in a 3-1 win back in 1991 24 hours after Kenny Dalglish’s resignation.
Luton are looking to secure their first-ever Premier League home win but welcome an in-form Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s side have only lost once all season and that was at Tottenham where Mr VAR an appalling day.
All I will ever associate with this fixture is Xabi Alonso scoring from the halfway line, so hopefully we will someone trying to replicate that today.
The good news for Luton is they secured their only victory of the season over a team from Merseyside when they defeated Everton at Goodison Park. I think this theory is clutching at straws slightly but I am just trying to help.
Let’s hope for a cracker.
Kick-off: 4.30pm GMT
