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For any football supporter, the start of the season is greeted with a mixture of excitement and nervous trepidation.

The questions are familiar. What will our new signings be like? How will we play? Can we improve on last season? Is this going to be our year?

Uncertainty is the only certainty.

But if there’s one effective guarantee for Liverpool fans, it’s that, barring injury, Christian Benteke will be leading the line for the opening game at Stoke City on Sunday week.

Splashing out £32.5million on a player tends to make them favourite to start a match.

Behind Benteke, though, the positions in attacking midfield are very much up for grabs.

So who are the front-runners to be front running alongside the big Belgian?

The formation

Much, of course, will depend on how Brendan Rodgers lines his team up.

The Reds boss has been a staunch advocate of the 4-2-3-1 formation – with one central attacking midfielder and two out wide – for much of his Anfield reign.

However, that changed in December with a switch to a 3-4-2-1 approach that relied on two central attackers supporting the lone striker with two wing-backs, one of which was usually a defender by trade.

When Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez were in their pomp, there were also occasions when the duo were paired as a genuine front two, with a midfield diamond behind.

A return to a three-man defence seems unlikely given Rodgers hasn’t fielded such a line-up throughout pre-season.

And with Divock Origi showing signs of taking time to settle and Sturridge still injured, the only real decision in terms of formation is whether or not to start with Danny Ings alongside Benteke.

The new boys

Until the arrival of Benteke, Liverpool’s marquee signing of the summer was set to be Roberto Firmino.

Save for the European football junkies, few Reds fans had actually seen the 23-year-old play a full 90 minutes.

And with the Brazil international having been rested for the tour of the Far East and Australia, they will have to wait until Saturday’s pre-season friendly against HJK Helsinki to gain their first glimpse.

Firmino can play across the front line – left wing, central and on the right – and has the work-rate that should make him an ideal man to help defend from the front.

But his lack of integration with his new team-mates could see him eased in during the opening weeks.

There have been no such issues with fellow new boy James Milner, whose similar versatility made him such a hit with previous club Manchester City.

Milner, though, has been promised greater opportunity in the centre, and he will be a definite starter – although it could initially be in a more withdrawn midfield role alongside Jordan Henderson.

The tried and trusted

Another player to sit out pre-season thus far has been Firmino’s compatriot Philippe Coutinho.

As one of the few bright spots last season, Liverpool’s player of the year is destined to play another key role in the forthcoming campaign.

While Coutinho can feature on the left, it is through the middle where he began to produce his best form for the club from January onwards, earning a recall to the Brazilian squad and a place in the Copa America.

But with so many players jostling for a central role, Rodgers will hope Coutinho is put under pressure to continue producing consistent basis to ensure a starting berth in his preferred position.

The breakthrough kid

There’s no doubt Rodgers will have lamented the loss of Raheem Sterling to Manchester City, given the youngster’s devastating form both on the right flank and through the middle.

Many supporters, though, are already suggesting Liverpool have a ready-made replacement in Jordon Ibe, putting the weight of expectation on the shoulders of a teenager who has started just eight Premier League games.

Rodgers will be mindful of this, although Ibe’s form during pre-season thus far down the right has given him a strong case to start at the Britannia.

The clamour for Ibe may be irresistible. But Rodgers is sure to ensure it’s not a case of too much, too soon for the exciting 19-year-old.

The 'must do betters'

Entire books could be written on the fall-out to Liverpool’s last campaign and the plethora of ways in which it underwhelmed.

And for two attacking midfielders signed last summer, the jury remains very much out.

Adam Lallana was always playing catch-up from the moment he suffered an injury during pre-season, and never truly convinced he could become a regular starter – not least give the moment he approached any kind of form, he picked up another injury.

Like Coutinho, he has been employed ostensibly on the left but feels much more comfortable in a central role.

But after an encouraging pre-season, the litmus test will surely be if he is able to grasp his first-team opportunity when it arrives – and then stay fit.

Lazar Markovic, meanwhile, is a curious case.

Despite his obvious talent, the Serbian only fleetingly justified the hype, although his harsh dismissal in the Champions League decider against Basel was symptomatic of his poor fortune.

Yet Markovic began to prosper as a right wing-back until desperate performances at Arsenal and in the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa evidently saw his card marked.

Pre-season hasn’t offered much encouragement just yet. Whether on the right or, inevitably, through the middle, he simply needs to perform.