Jurgen Klopp may have already dropped two Liverpool starting line-up hints for Fulham clash

Jurgen Klopp admitted he’ll have to assess the condition of his players as Liverpool’s focus turns back to the Premier League title race.

The Reds have little time to feel sorry for themselves after exiting the Europa League at the hands of Atalanta. They deserved to lose the quarter-final tie, suffering a 3-1 defeat on aggregate. Yet Klopp’s troops have a swift turnaround as they make the trip to Fulham on Sunday.

There are plenty of supporters conceding that the German will not bow out as Anfield manager in glorious fashion. A European trophy is out of the question while winning the Premier League is also a big ask. Having been in the driving seat, a 2-2 draw against Manchester United followed up with a 1-0 reverse against Crystal Palace has handed the advantage to Manchester City. The current champions have a two-point lead with six games remaining.

And while there aren’t too many who’d bet against City dropping any points, Liverpool have to be in a position to pounce if that is the case. What’s more, the Reds need a guaranteed eight more points to ensure they qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Klopp has taken some solace that Liverpool earned a 1-0 win over Atalanta in the second leg but is likely to make some changes to his starting line-up against Fulham. And judging by his post-match comments, Alexis Mac Allister could be set for a much-needed break.

The Argentina international has arguably been the Reds’ best performer in the second half of the campaign, thriving since moved into a more advanced position. However, with Wataru Endo dropping to the bench against Atalanta, Mac Allister was moved back to the No.6 role. He featured for the entire contest and it was the seventh successive match that the Argentina international has done so. Klopp admitted that Mac Allister could be suffering from tiredness after Palace. Some respite may be necessary. There are options available as endo could come back into the XI while Harvey Elliott and Ryan Gravenberch are in contention.

And while Klopp will want Trent Alexander-Arnold to find rhythm, ensuring Liverpool’s vice-captain does not break down again is paramount. Alexander-Arnold made his first start in two months in Bergamo after recovering from a knee issue. In the first half, the 25-year-old was the Reds’ conductor as he has been for much of the campaign, effortlessly spraying the ball around and winning the penalty for Salah’s goal.

However, after the break, fatigue understandably started to be evident. Klopp admitted that Alexander-Arnold ran out of gas. Handing the England international an appearance less than three days later would be imprudent. Conor Bradley may be on the treatment table yet Joe Gomez has proven he can operate in the position several times this term.

“You saw tonight in Trent Alexander-Arnold which player we didn’t have for a while now,” said Klopp after Atalanta. “As long as he was fresh, together with Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] he set the tempo, the rhythm, the direction of the game. Obviously, he was a bit running a bit out of gas. Macca had to go through this game, which is crazy and the way he did it was absolutely insane, but that was the difference.”

Meanwhile, a decision at centre-back will also have to be made. Ibrahima Konate has played the past three games but his minutes have carefully been managed throughout his Liverpool career, having picked up several niggling issues.