Liverpool will host Nottingham Forest in their Premier League clash at Anfield this weekend and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that his side can take some confidence from their 5-1 victory over Leeds United earlier this week into the game on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds have been massively inconsistent over their entire campaign, which has cost them the opportunity to add trophies to their large collection and could also cost them their place in the Champions League next season, with the side trailing nine points behind Newcastle United in fourth.
As a result, there is absolutely no room for error over the remaining eight fixtures for Klopp and his squad if they want to do everything they can to earn that outside chance of qualifying for the prestigious European competition, starting at Anfield this weekend.
Indeed, Steve Cooper's newly-promoted side are in freefall as of late and are without a win since the beginning of February when they beat Leeds 1-0, however, it has been the story of Liverpool's season that they have not turned up against relegation-threatened sides on many occasions.
The Merseysiders are in no position to rest on their laurels against the Trentside giants this weekend as they have found themselves dropping points in their visit to The City Ground earlier this season alongside their meetings with Bournemouth, Leeds and Wolverhampton Wanderers to name a few.
As a result, Klopp will need to select a starting eleven who can offer not only quality but confidence going into the game tomorrow and, for that reason, it might be worth dropping Fabinho.
Will Fabinho start vs Nottingham Forest?
There is no doubt that the Brazilian midfielder is one of the most experienced players and has been one of the trusted players in the squad despite his questionable form this season, however, his terrible yellow card record in recent weeks has left him walking on a tightrope going into the Forest game.
Fabinho is on the brink of a two-game suspension which could be triggered as soon as Saturday afternoon if he was to pick up another booking against the Garibaldi Reds.
The £180k-per-week ace – who was branded a "liability every time he's in the side" by radio journalist Daniel Bach back in January – has collected nine yellow cards in total and a whopping seven in the last nine outings, with his clear lack of discipline on the pitch becoming a frustrating sight for supporters.
Klopp does find his hands tied in some respects as there is a lack of depth in midfield with Stefan Bajcetic and Naby Keita both unavailable, however, with Thiago Alcantara returning from injury recently and Jordan Henderson available for selection, it could be an opportunity for the manager to make a subtle tweak in the middle third.
Not only that, Fabinho could be more likely to avoid attempts to win possession or be reluctant to make interceptions to avoid a spell on the side-line in upcoming fixtures, so it could be more beneficial to leave him out for this encounter and instead rely on the club captain to take on the defensive role that'll almost certainly demand important tackles on threatening opponents.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see whether the Liverpool boss will run the risk of losing Fabinho by starting him on Saturday or will rely on other members of the squad to save the Brazilian for more challenging fixtures away from home.
