Liverpool return to domestic action following the international break with a tough tie against Premier League title chasers Manchester City.
Last season, this matchup was a battle between two sides who were chasing glory across all fronts and while nothing has changed for City, the Anfield side have endured their worst season under Jurgen Klopp, with their sole priority being to secure Champions League football for next season.
The Reds will be hoping to secure their first victory in a month and following their recent Champions League defeat to Real Madrid a couple of weeks ago, Klopp will be keen on making a couple of changes.
The German utilised Cody Gakpo in a deeper position against the La Liga side and although this could be an option for the future, he should deploy him as a central striker against City in order to terrorise their defence.
Will Cody Gakpo start for Liverpool against Manchester City?
The £120k-per-week machine has enjoyed a solid enough start to life on Merseyside, scoring four Premier League goals since joining in January from PSV Eindhoven, and it looks as though Liverpool have struck gold once again when it comes to young attacking talent.
In the Reds' recent 7-0 drubbing of Manchester United at the start of March, Gakpo was sensational as the focal point of their front three.
He received a Sofascore rating of 8.2/10 for his performance which included a brace, one key pass, 42 touches and succeeded with one dribble attempt in what could be the catalyst for him to deliver in the Premier League.
Renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano described Gakpo as “something special” while he was away on international duty for the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup, and he certainly demonstrated his talents to the rest of the world after enjoying a successful tournament on a personal level.
The 23-year-old scored three goals for his country in Qatar, while also averaging two key passes and succeeding with 50% of his dribbles and Klopp will hope that deploying him in a central role will allow the player to replicate these performances.
Liverpool have already beaten City this season, securing a 3-1 win in the Community Shield back in July, however, their paths have diverged into different worlds since then.
Gakpo must start in a front three alongside Darwen Nunez and Mohamed Salah for the Merseyside outfit to have any chance of securing a win.
