Three things to look out for against Liverpool

“I don’t think it can get any worse”. After the defeat to Southampton back in September, Mark Noble said what we were all thinking but our situation is worse. As it stands, we are only one point above the relegation zone and with Sunderland winning three out of their last four games, we could be dropping into the relegation zone this weekend. We face Liverpool this Sunday who are coming off a defeat against Bournemouth who produced a stunning late-comeback. Here are three things to look out for…

Will Andy Carroll solve our goalscoring problems?

We all know that Dimitri Payet has not performed as well as he did last season though this has not prevented him from creating chances. According to Squawka, Payet has created more chances (47) than any other player in the Premier League this season but we have only scored fifteen goals from fourteen games. We have lacked a clinical finisher this season with Simone Zaza, Jonathan Calleri, Diafra Sakho and Ashley Fletcher scoring a total of one goal between them in the Premier League so far. Is Carroll the answer to our goalscoring problems?

Ten minutes was all Carroll needed to score against Arsenal and his positioning and decisiveness has been missed all season. He has only started one Premier League game but he is now back from injury, ready to start, and his presence on the pitch will undoubtedly help our attack. With Liverpool’s defenders evidently struggling when put under pressure, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Carroll score another goal this weekend.

Will Liverpool’s devastating attack punish our defensive frailties?

Liverpool have scored more goals (35) than any other team in the Premier League this season and only 20th-placed Swansea have conceded more goals than us. Although they are without their best player in Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool have shown that they can still create numerous chances and score numerous goals in his absence.

In the game against Arsenal we allowed them to have too much freedom on the ball and this cannot happen this Sunday. But with Liverpool’s high-pressing, free-flowing movement and speed we all expect goals in this game. Our defence will be improved with Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio both due to return but as we have seen this season, Liverpool will score.

Key battle - Roberto Firmino v. Winston Reid / Angelo Ogbonna

Firmino is not a traditional number nine but his impact up front for Liverpool has been significant. Klopp has deployed him in a ‘false nine’ position with Firmino often dropping deep to collect the ball and our defenders cannot get dragged out of position this Sunday. His ability to bring his team-mates into play and open up space for them means that we cannot afford another slow start or we will be punished.

Reid and Ogbonna did not have the greatest of games against Arsenal but they have shown in the past that they can cope with Liverpool’s attack. My prediction? A 3-1 loss.