Three key battles in Liverpool v Swansea City

Mignolet v Mignolet

Simon Mignolet can be his own worst enemy at times. The Liverpool number one is prone to taking too many touches on the ball in his own area, which inevitably presents opponents with the chance to put the Belgium international under pressure and extract a mistake. It also spreads panic throughout his defence. However, on Thursday night, a placid Mignolet didn’t even have the ball at his feet but still managed to make a blunder. The former Sunderland shot stopper was penalised for holding onto the ball for too long and Bordeaux scored from the ensuing free-kick. The 27-year-old has been a much-improved version of himself in 2015, but after his latest mistake, his confidence could be low ahead of the visit of Swansea City, who’ll use Bafetimbi Gomis to unsettle Mignolet.

Allen v Sigurdsson

Lucas Leiva may have made more tackles than any other Premier League midfielder this season, but the Brazil international will only be tackling the Merseyside cold on Sunday afternoon as the suspended South American will presumably be sat in the Anfield stand. Joe Allen is expected to start in Lucas’s absence. The Wales international is battling for his future at the Merseyside club and what better chance to prove a point than against his former employers, Swansea. Allen was quietly impressive in Thursday’s 2-1 win against Bordeaux but the Welshman has just 10 minutes of Premier League football under his belt since Jurgen Klopp took over. Swansea’s chief schemer Gylfi Sigurdsson will look to make the most of any lack of match sharpness.

Benteke v Williams

Klopp went with Christian Benteke up front against Bordeaux after having played a three-man front-line comprised of playmakers in a 4-1 win at Manchester City last weekend. While Liverpool produced a magical performance at The Etihad, the onus will be on the Reds to seize control of Sunday’s home clash against the Swans. As a result, the Liverpool manager is expected to opt for a more attacking line-up, containing Benteke. While the £32.5m summer signing has made an unpredictable start to his Anfield career, the 24-year-old has scored five times in 12 games. However, Ashley Williams and Swansea have had the striker’s number in recent season. Benteke hasn’t scored against the Swans in open play since September 2012 in his first season in the Premier League.

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