Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has the chance to convince some supporters he’s up to the job with a solid showing against Manchester United.
Lovren is in line to start alongside Virgil van Dijk at Anfield, after Joel Matip joined Joe Gomez in the treatment room.
Matip suffered a fractured collar bone against Napoli in the Champions League in midweek and could be out for around six weeks.
Just a week prior to that, Gomez sustained a fractured leg against Burnley.
It means the Reds are now concerningly light at centre-back, but it’s a huge chance for Dejan Lovren to get people back on his side.
The Croatian World Cup finalist has had to make do with a place on the bench this season due to the brilliance of Gomez, but he could stake a serious claim with the Englishman now out of the picture.
Lovren to change the opinion of him?
Lovren will undoubtedly be under the microscope when he comes into the team.
The former Southampton defender has not been shy about talking up his own ability this year.
Recently he placed himself as one of the top five defenders in the world and criticised Sergio Ramos, claiming he makes more mistakes than him.
He’s certainly drawn a lot of attention to himself that has not necessarily been backed up by way of a string of excellent performances.
But he will now get that chance to do that, starting with a solid showing against bitter rivals Manchester United.
Some Liverpool fans are still not convinced by Lovren, who was actually voted into FIFA’s official Team of the Tournament after the World Cup, but he’ll gain some more fans by containing the Red Devils.