Watford V Liverpool - English Premier League - Saturday November 24 15:00 BST - Match Preview

International breaks have been the bane of Liverpool fans lives in recent years as not only do they not get to watch their beloved team play for a couple of weeks but they also usually result in players returning injured, often for a significant portion of the season. This latest international break has been an exception though with many Reds experiencing success with their national teams and returning healthy and ready to take on Watford on Saturday. Trent Alexander Arnold, Gini Wijnaldum, Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah all scored for their countries while Joe Gomez played a hand in England's winning goal against Croatia utilising the long throw he's been working on this season while Shaqiri played a blinder in Switzerland's 5-2 victory over Belgium getting 2 assists. Jordan Henderson did return to Liverpool early with a hamstring issue but this was only a precaution and Sadio Mane was seen in floods of tears at the end of Senegal's 1-0 victory after being booed by his own fans. It wasn't nice to see but he was all smiles upon returning back to Anfield with the news that he has signed a new deal with Liverpool that will see him get a healthy pay rise and see him remain at Liverpool until 2023.

Source Mane happier after agreeing an extended contract

It's good news for Jurgen Klopp that his players are healthy and in good form as his side visit Watford this weekend in a bid to continue their quest to win a Premier League title ahead of a trip to Paris on Wednesday night where they take on PSG in their Champions League group game hoping to progress further in that competition. With Jordan Henderson's injury not being serious Klopp only has 2 injuries to deal with. Long-term absentee Oxlade Chamberlain remains out while Adam Lallana will have to miss this game but could be back in time for Wednesday. The international break has actually benefited Liverpool this time with Naby Keita able to get some much-needed game time as he comes back from injury and could be ready to return to the team. Watford striker Troy Deeney is fully fit after being out since October 6th and could feature, he is the sort of powerful striker that sometimes causes Liverpool problems but Gerard Deulofeu and Isaac Success have been doing well in his absence. The Hornets also have Prodl returning from injury but it's unlikely he will feature this weekend as he's only played 14 minutes so far this season.

Source Keita and teammates back in training after the international break

The game against PSG on Wednesday may play a factor in who Klopp selects for this game but Watford are certainly not a team that can be taken lightly. While they are 7th in the table and not experiencing great form with just 3 wins from their last 10 games they have proven capable on their day having beaten Tottenham 2-1 as well as an impressive 0-2 away win against a Wolves team that were flying. There shouldn't be any major surprises within the back 5 with the side 1 clean sheet from breaking the record for the least goals Liverpool have conceded after 13 games. Klopp did hint that he will be utilising the 4-2-3-1 formation for the first time away from home and that may mean Fabinho and Wijnaldum playing as the holding midfielders with Shaqiri, Firmino and Mane behind Salah up top. Although I would be interested in seeing Keita playing in this system and believe he is capable of playing any of the 5 midfield roles.

Source Potential threat to Liverpool, Watford left back Holebas

Watford plays a 4-2-2-2 system that you don't see very often in the Premier League. From the statistics of their previous games, it seems quite clear their success relies heavily on the performances of their full-backs with their best results coming when both full-backs have been heavily involved. José Holebas may be 34 but he has shown this season to be very capable, not only performing well defensively but also contributing going forward with 2 goals and 4 assists. Whether it is Trent Alexander Arnold or Joe Gomez who plays at right-back for Liverpool if they keep Holebas quiet it should play a big factor in the success of their side.

While this was definitely one of the better international breaks in a while it is great to have Liverpool back in action and I'm looking forward to an exciting game on Saturday. Liverpool's fellow title contenders are also in action on Saturday with Manchester City visiting West Ham while Tottenham and Chelsea face off against one another at Wembley.