Reigning champions Liverpool will play Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum in the season match against Leeds United. One Dutchman is within the line of the PhD candidate: defender Pascal Struijk was given a basic place by trainer Marcelo Bielsa. The match between Liverpool and Leeds United starts at 18:30 at Anfield.

Liverpool will have to do without Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Xherdan Shaqiri, who have both been injured for several weeks. In addition, the summer acquisition Konstantinos Tsimikas, who came over from Olympiacos, was placed in quarantine after contracting the coronavirus. Leeds United miss defender Gaetano Berardi and midfielder Adam Forshaw, but also have a suitable choice. In the starting line-up, Mateusz Klich is a former Eredivisionis: the Pool played for PEC Zwolle, FC Twente and FC Utrecht in the Netherlands.

The 21-year-old Struijk played in the youth at ADO Den Haag and Ajax. In September 2016, he once sat on the bench during a match between Jong Ajax against FC Oss (7-0) in the Kitchen Champion Division, but did not make his debut in professional football in the Netherlands. In the winter holidays of the 2017/18 season he moved to Leeds United. Struijk made his debut in the main team of Leeds United last season and played five matches in the championship. In the last three games of last season, which were offered until July, he had a starting place.

Occupation Liverpool: Alisson; Robertson, van Dijk, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold; Keita, J Henderson, Wijnaldum; Mane, Firmino, Salah.

Leeds United lineup: Meslier, Ayling, Koch, Struijk, Harrison, Klich, Dallas, Phillips, Costa, Hernandez, Bamford.