Alexander Isak will replace Hugo Ekitike in the Liverpool starting lineup when they take on West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday.

Liverpool will be desperate to return to winning ways when they lock horns with West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Arne Slot has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.

Slot has been sweating over the fitness of Alisson Becker (illness) and Hugo Ekitike (knock) due to issues they have sustained this week; the former missed the UEFA Champions League clash with PSV Eindhoven because of his problem. The duo will undergo late fitness tests to determine their availability. Florian Wirtz is also closing in on returning after recovering from a muscular injury.

However, Giovanni Leoni (knee), Conor Bradley (muscular), and Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring) remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Slot provided fitness updates on Alisson and Wirtz.

The Liverpool manager said, “Ali trained again with the team today, so we hope and expect him to be available at the weekend. Florian will have his final day of rehab tomorrow. So, if that all goes well, he could train with the team on Saturday.”

“They don’t expect that it has to be a big issue [with Ekitike], but the games come fast so let’s see for the weekend. You consider everything [while deciding the lineup]. Until now, I have decided differently. But they train with us every single day and they can prove themselves in those moments. Of course, I consider [that] but I cannot tell you what the end product of that consideration is for Sunday yet.”

Meanwhile, Slot also discussed whether Joe Gomez could start as the right-back on Sunday. The Liverpool boss said, “He could have been involved [on Wednesday] as well in terms of minutes. But when we are 2-1 or 3-1 down, I tend to make offensive substitutions. And for him to start a game is also definitely a possibility.”

Alisson Becker will reclaim his spot between the sticks, with Liverpool lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him against West Ham United on Sunday. The backline will feature Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Andrew Robertson.

As for the midfield unit, Dominik Szoboszlai will line up in the middle of the park alongside Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister. Finally, Alexander Isak will lead the line for the away side against West Ham, with Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo being the two wide attackers. So, Wirtz, Ekitike, Federico Chiesa, and Rio Ngumoha will be backup options on the bench.

Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Gomez, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Isak, Gakpo