Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool, has some decisions to make ahead of the Reds’ Premier League trip to Bournemouth next weekend.

In the build-up to next weekend’s trip to Bournemouth (Sunday 21st January, 4.30pm kick-off), Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp must make some decisions. Between their Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg triumph over Fulham and their trip to the south coast to face Andoni Iraola’s Cherries, the Reds have an 11-day vacation.

Liverpool has already won two consecutive games without Mohamed Salah. Arsenal were defeated in the FA Cup by a Jakub Kiwior own goal and Luis Diaz strike before Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo scored in the win over Fulham, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was also missing.

And Klopp will be thinking about how he will set up his attacking line against Bournemouth. Gakpo began in midfield against Arsenal, with Harvey Elliott on the right wing, Darwin Nunez as the No. 9, and Diaz on the left wing.

Nunez and Gakpo were both benched for Fulham’s visit to Anfield, while Diogo Jota played through the middle. However, it was the Uruguayan off the bench who had two assists, while Gakpo had more shots on goal, important passes, and dribbles than Jota.

Nunez will be hoping to start at the Vitality Stadium after his performance against Fulham and the fact that he has a goal and three assists in his past four appearances. But where exactly? Luis Diaz has recovered some spark on the left, despite playing 90 minutes in both of the last two games.

However, given the 11-day hiatus, that may not be a factor. The Colombian, who was so impressive in his previous Premier League match against Newcastle, might so start against Adam Smith.

In the other two spots, Klopp must choose between Nunez, Gakpo, Jota, and Elliott. Nunez could start in the middle, despite the fact that Gakpo has only started one of the last three games.

The Dutchman scored in each of his replacement appearances and has not started as a striker since the Boxing Day triumph over Burnley, when he collected an assist and was cruelly denied a disallowed goal. However, he may have to settle for another bench spot.

That could be with the intention of him starting the second leg at Fulham a few days later. Meanwhile, Jota played his first 90 minutes since returning from injury against the Cottagers on Wednesday night.

Unlike his appearances against Burnley, Newcastle, and Arsenal, the Portuguese did not score or assist, but he was energetic as usual. He assisted in Jones’ goal and came close to scoring a couple of times.

While Elliott has a strong engine, he lacks the speed in transition that Diaz, Nunez, and Jota possess. Unless Dominik Szoboszlai is fit enough to start, he could be played in midfield with Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister.

In the front three, Klopp will look to Nunez to replicate the kind of finishing he shown in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup victory at this same stadium in November. In the absence of creator-in-chief Alexander-Arnold, Diaz and Jota should be ruthless as well.