Alisson returns in goal for Liverpool against West Ham United

Liverpool, April 13 (IANS) Alisson Becker returned to the starting line-up for Liverpool’s Anfield encounter with West Ham United. The goalkeeper is named in the Reds XI having missed the last two games due to concussion protocols.

In total, Arne Slot has made four changes from last weekend’s fixture at Fulham, with Conor Bradley, Luis Diaz and Kostas Tsimikas also coming back into the fold.

Head coach Slot also issued a message for the Liverpool faithful in the matchday programme asking them to give it their all as Liverpool aim to wrap up the Premier League title race as soon as possible.

"We are going to need you to be at your best in the games we have remaining at Anfield this season. The atmosphere in our last home fixture was very special, especially in the minutes after Diogo Jota scored the decisive goal. That, of course, was in a Merseyside derby and I have been in football long enough to know that a local rivalry will always bring out the very best in fans.

"The situation we are in with just seven games to go, though, means it would make a big, big difference if we could have a derby-style atmosphere in all of our home matches," read the note by Slot in the matchday programme.

West Ham United Head Coach Graham Potter has made two changes to his starting XI with Greece international centre-back Dinos Mavropanos and Spanish midfielder Carlos Soler both featuring from the start at Anfield, in place of Edson Álvarez and Tomas Soucek.

Mavropanos is back in the starting XI after making a substitute appearance in last Saturday’s 2-2 home draw with AFC Bournemouth as Potter reverts to a back five.

Meanwhile, Soler, who joined on loan from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, comes back into the side to make his first Premier League start since the home defeat to Brentford in mid-February.

Otherwise, Potter has selected the same nine players who started the draw at London Stadium eight days ago.

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Bradley, Van Dijk, Konate, Tsimikas; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Jota, Diaz

Subs: Jaros, Kelleher, Endo, Szoboszlai, Chiesa, Gakpo, Elliott, Robertson, Quansah

West Ham XI: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Mavropanos, Todibo, Scarles; Ward-Prowse, Soler; Paqueta, Bowen, Kudus

Subs: Fabianski, Coufal, Fullkrug, Guilherme, Alvarez, Rodriguez, Soucek, Emerson, Ferguson

--IANS

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