Five key talking points ahead of Liverpool's crunch trip to Leeds United

Liverpool have wobbled alarmingly in all competitions this season, not least in the Premier League where they trail leaders Arsenal by a whopping 11 points.

It is easy to forget that Arne Slot’s men were crowned champions last term, but could things about to get even worse?

Ahead of Saturday’s game at revitalised Leeds United,  DAZN News  assesses the key talking points surrounding the Reds’ trip to Elland Road.

Entering a lion’s den

Eland Road is in desperate need of redevelopment but plans are in place to transform it into a state-of-the-art, 53,000-capacity stadium.

The atmosphere at Leeds’ vintage home, however, remains one of the hostile in English football – just ask Chelsea.

Enzo Maresca’s side were blown away there on Wednesday night as Leeds won 3-1 to end a run of four straight defeats.

A raucous Elland Road under the lights can be something special and Liverpool will need to stand their ground.

Will the Egyptian King return?

Eyebrows were raised when Mohamed Salah was left out of Liverpool’s starting line-up at West Ham last Sunday.

After the Reds won 2-0, Salah’s omission could be easily dressed up as him being ‘rested’.

But to leave him out for the second game running? That was the case on Wednesday night as Sunderland visited Anfield.

Salah came on at the start of the second half to try to bring spark into a lifeless Liverpool performance.

Since the Egypt international made his debut at Watford in August 2017, the Reds have played 318 Premier League games and only 17 of those took place without his involvement.

Surely he will be restored to the starting line-up at Elland Road.

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Liverpool’s centre-backs set for huge test

Leeds boss Daniel Farke appears to have happened on a formula for success which could spell trouble for Liverpool on Saturday evening.

At half-time during the Whites’ game at Manchester City last Saturday, Farke went 5-3-2 and deployed Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha together up front.

It felt a bit old school, but worked as Leeds fought back from 2-0 down to level against City – only to concede in added time and lose 3-2.

Farke kept the same formation against Chelsea in midweek and was handsomely rewarded as Leeds tore the Londoners apart.

Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin will fancy their chances of causing havoc against Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté, neither of whom have been convincing this season.

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Defeat for either boss could prove damaging

Leeds manager Farke and Liverpool counterpart Farke have been among the bookies’ favourites to win the Premier League sack race in recent weeks.

Farke earned much-needed breathing space in midweek when beating Chelsea comprehensively at Elland Road.

Yet the amiable German remains a man under pressure as Leeds look to establish themselves in the top flight.

Jamie Carragher recently blasted Liverpool’s drop in standards and said that “anything fewer than seven points” in the games against West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds were needed for Slot to keep his job.

With four points from so far during that run, then according to Carragher’s logic nothing less than a win in West Yorkshire will do for the stuttering Slot machine.

No pressure then, Arne, but Farke knows he must continue picking up points to keep his critics at bay.

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Wirtz finally has lift-off, but can he build on it?

Heaven knows Florian Wirtz has flattered to deceive since joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a staggering £116million in the summer.

Against Sunderland on Wednesday night, though, he made a telling impact. Finally.

With the Black Cats leading 1-0 in the final 10 minutes, Wirtz’s shot deflected in off Nordi Mukiele to rescue a point for Slot’s side.

It went down as an own-goal, leaving Wirtz still without a goal since joining the Reds,  but the point-saving contribution should pour confidence into the Germany international.

Alexander Isak, a £125million arrival from Newcastle, broke his Premier League duck for Liverpool at West Ham last weekend but drew a blank against Sunderland.

Slot may be tempted to go with Hugo Ekitike from the start in place of Isak at Elland Road.

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