Liverpool midfielder Jurgen Klopp's dilemma against Manchester United

This is the biggest dilemma that Jurgen Klopp faces before a potentially decisive afternoon for Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Basically, it's pretty simple. Defensive talisman Virgil van Dijk will be back after a suspension of the Champions League midweek.

While Dejan Lovren is still in trouble, Van Dijk will join Joel Matip on Sunday afternoon with side defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.

At the top, unless there are late fitness problems, Klopp will unleash his usual three-pronged attack and support him after he's shot blank at Bayern Munich.

Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino will certainly have more space to play with Manchester United and will show more ambition than the German champions.

However, in the center of the park, Liverpool's situation is considerably less clear.

Remarkably, in the eight games played by the Reds since the beginning of the year, Klopp has presented a combination of different backgrounds in each of them.

To a large extent, injuries, illness and suspension were imposed, forcing Klopp to mix his bag. But in any season, the manager has adopted a horse-based approach to the courses in this particular department.

Liverpool started in 2019 with Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and James Milner starting in the defeat against Manchester City.

One night, when Klopp made big changes to the FA Cup tie with the Wolves, he left with a trio of Milner, Naby Keita and Curtis Jones.

There was a 4-2-3-1 pbad to win over Bournemouth with Wijnaldum and Henderson together before returning to 4-3-3 with Henderson, Fabinho and Keita fighting Crystal Palace.

Henderson being forced to take office as a right-back in deadlock with Leicester, he was a central two-part midfielder: Wijnaldum and Keita.

Adam Lallana joined Fabinho and Keita for the unimpressive draw in West Ham.

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The combination of Fabinho, Keita and Wijnaldum worked perfectly in the defeat of Bournemouth, while Liverpool found a little fluidity and a controlled procedure.

But Bayern's visit prompted another re-reflection with Fabinho needed for the center post. Henderson's return to full fitness proved timely as he shone alongside Keita and Wijnaldum.

Now, Old Trafford is waiting. In reality, Henderson, Keita, Wijnaldum, Fabinho and Milner compete for three places. Klopp should keep the 4-3-3 system.

Finding the right balance will be crucial against a revitalized United, who has won 11 of 13 matches since taking over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. United should form a midfield trio composed of Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba.

Fabinho should be one of the first names on the Klopp team sheet. The Brazilian international has brilliantly defended the center against Bayern, but Liverpool has barely missed its momentum.

The former Monaco man has the temperament and quality to handle the hostility that awaits the Reds at Old Trafford. They will need his controlled aggression and his ability to feed the first three.

Henderson certainly deserves to retain his place after a tie game against Bayern.

The Liverpool captain looked fit and fit as he made more pbades in the opposing half (41), regained possession of the ball more often (eight) and completed more tackles (four). than any of his teammates.

"Hendo did a great job there," Klopp said.

"It was amazing how many bullets he got and things like that. It was a fantastic match on his part, but that's also what we expect. "

So, that leaves room. Milner has the richness of a great gaming experience, but it would seem that he is an underdog having not started a Premier League match in the middle of the field since City away early January.

Choosing between Keita and Wijnaldum is a difficult task. Keita had a very encouraging month and clearly benefited from her lead in the group with five consecutive starts.

There was lightning of real quality from the Guinean international against Bayern, but that was not supported. He fainted in the second half and made way for Milner.

Wijnaldum has been a regularity model this season and is arguably the safest pair of hands, especially in a contest of this magnitude. This is a big call for Klopp.

Last December, when United was defeated 3-1 at Anfield, his confidence in Fabinho, Wijnaldum and Keita was rewarded.

But it is now a very different Union in different environments and the stakes are much bigger.

The title race in the Premier League will not be decided at Old Trafford Sunday, but the gap between the success and the failure of the day will be considerable.

Klopp won at Etihad, Stamford Bridge, Emirates and Wembley, but a triumph at Old Trafford still escaped him.

Remedy this when Liverpool will play his match at Manchester City and his team will have three points ahead of the champions with 11 games to play. The psychological boost would be immense.

Try your luck against a team from the United States, determined to achieve the title dream of the Reds and that would go to the bottom of things. City would be in the ascendant.

Getting this mix in the center of the park will dominate Klopp's thoughts over the next few days.