Liverpool Q&A LIVE: What kind of team to expect against Union Saint-Gilloise with Man United on the horizon… Lewis Steele answers all your questions

LEWIS STEELE: The fitness of Thiago Alcantara has been the biggest mystery of 2023.

Jurgen Klopp said in late October to ‘ask me in a month’ when a reporter questioned him on Thiago. So I did just that about a fortnight ago and got little in terms of an answer.

I think that his long-term lay-off has baffled everyone but there would appear to be light at the end of the tunnel.

We will know more in the next 24 hours on a timescale for Thiago’s return.

LEWIS STEELE: Good enough to save Liverpool towards £100million.

Calm on the ball, commanding in a defensive sense and positionally aware with a good burst of pace.

I asked Jurgen Klopp a few weeks ago whether he was surprised at Quansah’s developments this season – as I certainly was! – and he agreed.

He has been learning from Virgil van Dijk and has also benefited from playing for England Under 21s alongside his Merseyside rival Jarrad Branthwaite, another defender in these parts that could go right to the top.

Warrington-born Quansah has been at Liverpool since the age of five and could be another local lad to become a mainstay in their side. Quansah could be the one that tempts Liverpool away from spending big bucks on a defender next summer.

LEWIS STEELE: I could answer this one in two words: Ben Doak.

The Scottish winger has been described as a ‘Tasmanian devil’ by Virgil van Dijk and you can see why. He buzzes around the pitch and seems to love playing football.

He is a direct winger and is good fun to watch. I was at a Under 21s match that he featured in last week and he was by far Liverpool’s best player. As I mentioned in the above answer, Kaide Gordon is also one to watch.

He became Liverpool’s youngest-ever FA Cup goal-scorer against Shrewsbury in early 2022, and then made his Premier League debut the following week against Brentford. He has had multiple setbacks since then, though. It will be good if he gets a chance to get back on the pitch.

LEWIS STEELE: I posted a picture on social media of the Eurostar train I was boarding to Brussels this morning and one Liverpool fan replied, ‘You might get a game!’. So I think that sums up the general feeling around what sort of team Jurgen Klopp will put out on Thursday.

Because of UEFA rules around squad registration, the Reds won’t be able to name a full squad full of 14-year-olds.

There will be chances for the youngsters and fringe players that have impressed around the club this season, though – and there are lots of them.

Caoimhin Kelleher will play in goal. We will likely see Ben Doak on the wing, and hopefully minutes for fellow forward Kaide Gordon, who was so highly-rated in early 2022 before a series of lengthy injuries.

Midfielder James McConnell and left-back Luke Chambers are also set for game-time, while there are a few other Under 21s players vying for minutes. Conor Bradley is one of those, the Northern Irishman who was tipped to play a big role in Liverpool’s squad this season but has so far been hampered by a stress fracture in his back suffered midway through pre-season.

It won’t be a complete academy XI, though, with Klopp bound to give starts to fringe players such as Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo and Co.

Things could not be much sweeter for Liverpool right now.

Here’s a look at how Jurgen Klopp’s table toppers sit after 16 games…

Reply to the post below over on X to get your questions in for Lewis… we’ll start with the first one at 1pm

Speaking of club greats, Liverpool did not pass up the opportunity to mark Mohamed Salah’s 200th goal for the club last weekend.

FULL STORY HERE.

We’ll be getting into the nitty gritty of the current crop shortly with Lewis but in terms of Liverpool’s history, one of their all-time greats kickstarted his glorious career at Anfield on this day back in 1980.

Let’s start with a bit of positive news concerning Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.

Safe to say it is not as bad as many had first feared.

FULL STORY BELOW.

Hello and welcome to today’s Liverpool Q&A.

It’s always a good day for Liverpool fans when they find bitter rivals Manchester United in disarray.

And best of all, they can compound United’s misery when the two sides meet at Anfield on Sunday.

Our Merseyside reporter Lewis Steele will be on hand to answer your questions from 1pm.