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#3 Joe Gomez
After arriving from Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2015, Joe Gomez has had an injury-riddled stint at Liverpool.
Nevertheless, the 23-year-old centre-back has played a key role at the heart of Liverpool's defence alongside Virgil Van Dijk. Gomez has made over 120 appearances in all competitions for the club, and has featured in their triumphs in the Champions League and Premier League in successive seasons.
However, Gomez suffered a left knee injury while on international duty with England in November last year and has been out of action since then.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recently provided an update on Gomez's injury, saying:
"That’s the thing, these boys are not injured anymore, they are just not at 100 per cent yet. There are usually setbacks, but so far there were no setbacks with Joe and Virgil and nobody (else) – they are all fine."
Gomez returned to first-team action in July, appearing as a second-half substitute in Liverpool's 3-4 friendly loss to Hertha Berlin in a pre-season game. He was, however, an unused substitute in the Reds' opening-day victory over Norwich City in the 2021-22 Premier League.
#2 Ansu Fati
Barcelona teenager Ansu Fati is one of the most talented La Masia graduates in the era after a certain Lionel Messi, who exited Barcelona this summer.
After bursting onto the scene in 2019-20, where Fati became the youngest scorer in the Champions League, the striker has seen more game-time under new Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman.
The teenage prodigy netted five goals for the club last season. But Barcelona were dealt a huge blow when Fati tore the meniscus in his left knee in a La Liga win over Real Betis in November.
The 18-year-old has suffered several setbacks in his bid to return to action and missed Barcelona's 2021-22 La Liga season opener against Real Sociedad. Nevertheless, Koeman believes Fati is one of several Barcelona players who will have to step up after the departure of their all-time top scorer Lionel Messi, saying:
"It's not always one player, you have to do it together. Hopefully, we get players back from injury like Ansu Fati and Coutinho and then we still have a strong squad. We will work harder, we will do more to achieve what people expect from us. We are still in the transition. We have to understand that the start of this season is difficult."
#1 Virgil Van Dijk
Virgil Van Dijk has been the defensive lynchpin for Liverpool since arriving at the club three years ago.
The Dutchman, widely regarded as one of the finest centre-backs in the game, has been one of the key players in Jurgen Klopp's team. He played every league game for Liverpool in 2018-19 and 2019-20, helping the club win their first English top-flight title in three decades last season.
However, in the Anfield derby against Everton earlier last season, Van Dijk damaged his knee ligaments following a challenge from Jordan Pickford. He was subsequently ruled out for the season. In Van Dijk's absence, Liverpool's title defence imploded spectacularly, but the club managed to recover and finish third.
The Dutchman returned to action after a nine-month layoff in Liverpool's 3-0 win over Norwich City in their 2021-22 Premier League season opener.
With Van Dijk back, Liverpool put up an improved display to kickstart their campaign for a second league win in three years.
