Liverpool should keep Cody Gakpo in its forward line this weekend against Bournemouth but bring Darwin Nunez alongside him. Those are the thoughts of Paul Merson, who is backing Arne Slot’s men to bounce back from last Saturday’s defeat to Nottingham Forest.
“But Liverpool are fortunate since Manchester City and Arsenal play each other this weekend. The Reds can gain on these two teams with a win over Bournemouth. In that regard, the loss to Nottingham Forest may not affect them as badly as we think.”
Heading into the weekend of fixtures, only Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle are ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League standings. The Reds also played well in the Champions League midweek against AC Milan at the San Siro.
“Slot has to play Gakpo in this fixture,” Merson continued. “I thought he was brilliant in the win over Milan. He also performed so well at the Euros, but we haven’t seen the same from him at Liverpool. Gakpo was going past people for fun and making the right decisions at Euro 2024. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t start and as a Bournemouth player I wouldn’t want to face him.
“The rest of the front three don’t have the same physical prowess as Gakpo in my opinion. This could be very useful against a team like Bournemouth. I would also play Nunez instead of Diogo Jota in this game. When teams sit back, which I think Bournemouth will do, Nunez is a good option. If Liverpool play Nunez, they can ping crosses in.
