Wayne Rooney is likely to remain on the bench for the big Premier League game between Liverpool and Manchester United. The club captain has lost his place in the starting XI in recent times, and is unlikely to be recalled for this encounter at Anfield.
Usually in big games, big players are asked to make their presence felt, but considering the manner in which Manchester United have played since Rooney has been dropped from the starting XI, it is difficult to envisage Mourinho bringing the 30-year-old back in.
Manchester United have looked like a much quicker attack with the pace of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial/Jesse Lingard out wide, while Juan Mata, playing behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has seemed more like the player he was at Chelsea.
With Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera also doing well in midfield, Rooney's chances of usurping any of those players looks unlikely, even if there is a chance that Mourinho will recall Marouane Fellaini to the playing XI in order to add a bit more of a physical presence.
However, with the Manchester United attack looking good and midfield doing well, chances are Mourinho will stick to the same six players. The defence, though, could see a change if the manager deems Luke Shaw to be match fit enough to play this game.
The manager confirmed Shaw and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are available for selection, and while the former Borussia Dortmund man is likely to be on the bench, there is a chance for Shaw to take the place of Daley Blind at left-back. Mkhitaryan and Shaw's return means Manchester United only have Phil Jones missing through injury.
Liverpool, however, have a few more injury problems with two key players in Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum racing against time to get fit for this match. Lallana picked up a groin problem in Liverpool's win over Swansea City just before the international week, while Wijnaldum was forced off with a hamstring problem during Netherlands' World Cup qualifier against France.
Jurgen Klopp refused to rule out both of them. "In this moment, we don't know exactly who is available," Klopp said while talking to reporters on Friday. "We all know about the obvious issues with Gini and Adam but they are both not ruled out for Monday."
Nathaniel Clyne and Dejan Lovren, however, are back in training and could make the starting XI against Manchester United.
Klopp also has to make a decision on his first-choice goalkeeper having gone with Loris Karius in recent games. The German, however, hasn't exactly looked convincing, so Simon Mignolet will hope to get his place back in the lineup.
Expected starting XI: Liverpool: Karius; Clyne, Lovren, Matip, Milner; Henderson, Can, Lallana; Mane, Firmino, Coutinho.
Manchester United: De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Shaw; Herrera, Pogba; Rashford, Mata, Lingard; Ibrahimovic.
