"This might be obious, but it is also true. With Ibrahima Konate battling an injury that did not allow him to show out for France, he will at best not be 100% if he does play. A hobbled Konate would mean that van Dijk would need to be at the top of his game reading things before they happened to make sure he is able to compensate for his younger half not having the same athleticism to solve certain problems."
"If Joe Gomez gets the nod, the Dutchman will have a huge load on his plate as Gomez has not played very well in his limited opportunities this season and would be challenged by the United attack. In times of frustration and dips in results like we are seeing, you need your leaders to sometimes drag you out of those doldrums. There are few leaders in world football that are more suited to this task than van Dijk."
"The Reds are eager to right the ship following a slight dip in form just before the international break that saw them knocked from the top spot in the Premier League table. What better place to begin then with a win over your bitter rivals? In order to do that, Arne Slot is going to need to see several players raise their levels once again and hit the heights we know they are capable of touching."
Liverpool seek a win over Manchester United to arrest a recent dip that cost them the Premier League top spot. Manager Arne Slot needs several players to raise their levels and regain form. Virgil van Dijk must lead defensively, especially with Ibrahima Konate injured and Joe Gomez's form uncertain, requiring van Dijk to anticipate and compensate for defensive limitations. Manchester United possess attacking threats such as Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. Dominik Szoboszlai returns to Anfield with confidence after scoring and creating for Hungary and has been among Liverpool's best performers early in the season.
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