Brendan Rodgers will have the rare luxury of a full-strength squad to choose from for the trip to Newcastle this weekend. It's not good news for Newcastle, who were on the receiving end of a 6-0 drubbing in this fixture in April. Rodgers is buoyed by the return to fitness of Glen Johnson, Joe Allen, Aly Cissokho and Philippe Coutinho. It creates a selection headache for the manager, who must also choose whether to stick with three at the back or revert back to the 4-2-3-1 shape. Here's how the Reds might line up, assuming Rodgers continues with 3-4-1-2.
At the Back
Simon Mignolet's place in the starting 11 is assured, but who will start in front of him? The primary question here is whether Rodgers will bring back vice-captain Daniel Agger or stick with the trio of Martin Skrtel, Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho. Agger played both of Dernmark's World Cup qualifiers—against Italy and Moldova—scoring two penalties in the latter fixture.I'd expect Rodgers to stick with Toure, Skrtel and Sakho, though.
Centre Midfield
The big question here involves the return of Lucas Leiva from suspension after the midfielder missed the Crystal Palace match. Jordan Henderson performed admirably and drew praise for his energy alongside Steven Gerrard in Lucas' absence. Lucas made his first appearances for Brazil in two years during the international break, but who would make way out of Gerrard and Henderson? That could depend on the fitness of Glen Johnson.
Wing-Backs
Glen Johnson returned to full training this week and could start for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain in the win over Manchester United. Should Johnson not be classed fully fit, Jordan Henderson could return to the right wing-back role, making it easier for Rodgers to bring Lucas back in alongside Gerrard in midfield. Meanwhile, Rodgers also has Aly Cissokho available to provide competition for Jose Enrique. Cissokho was injured on his full debut against Notts County but returned for the Under-21s in their 5-0 hammering of Tottenham last week.
The No. 10
Philippe Coutinho has returned to training slightly ahead of schedule. The question is, will he be deemed fit enough to start at St. James' Park?When Coutinho limped off early in the second half at Swansea, Liverpool struggled to link their midfield and attack.Iago Aspas failed miserably in the role against Southampton and was subbed at half-time. Victor Moses has been the man playing this role since the change to 3-4-1-2.Moses has performed admirably, but it doesn't appear to be his most natural position.I expect Moses will continue here in order to avoid risking Coutinho's return from injury too soon.
The Front Two
This is the one area that doesn't really have a question mark over it, and likely never will, as long as both Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez remain fit and available for selection.The duo have five goals in their two Premier League games together since Suarez's return from suspension.
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