Spearing in – confirmed Liverpool XI

Sunderland v Liverpool

Jay Spearing will be handed his full Premier League debut in a reshuffled Liverpool line up.  With Torres and Gerrard out – Babel gets a chance to shine, and Spearing replaces Mascherano who only returned from Argentina late yesterday. Fabio Aurelio also comes in to replace the other Argentine, Emiliano Insua.

Daniel Agger also returns to the Liverpool line up for the first time since his back surgery.

In our match preview we suggested that Liverpool may opt to use 3 centre-backs with Aurelio and Johnson operating as attacking wing-backs in a 3-5-2 formation.

Liverpool’s team in full is:

Reina, Johnson, Aurelio, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger, Lucas, Spearing, Benayoun, Babel, Kuyt.

Subs: Cavalieri, Voronin, Riera, Mascherano, Insua, Ngog, Kelly.

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