Andoni Iraola has two big decisions to make about Liverpool’s XI in Premier League opener vs Newcastle

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Andoni Iraola would perhaps have expected to have a few more players to pick from for Liverpool’s first game of the Premier League season this weekend.The Reds kick-off their campaign away at Newcastle United in the midst of trying to do more transfer business.Despite the slightly thin nature of their squad, though, Liverpool still have one of the strongest XIs in the Premier League. Both players looked good against Como, but they've each have had injury issues… Photo Credit: Getty Images/Visionhaus/Lewis Storey However, there are two big question marks still lingering for the Basque: who partners Virgil van Dijk and who begins on the right wing as Liverpool continue to assess their options in the market.Liverpool’s best XI is not yet completely setThough Liverpool fans would love to have seen a new right-back option come in, and hope to get Bradley Barcola for the left wing, as well as another new face on the right, they can be satisfied with much of their starting XI once everyone is fit.Centre-back may not even be a problem once Jeremy Jacquet finally gets himself up to speed.

The Frenchman was fantastic on his friendly debut last weekend, and he should be the starter next to Van Dijk for the best part of the season.For Sunday, though, Jacquet is clearly still not quite at his best level fitness wise. St James’ Park might not be the best place to begin that process, no matter the memories it holds for Ngumoha.The other main option for Iraola is Victor Munoz, with the Spaniard showing during his brief appearances so far that he has the speed, direct running and creative spark to cause panic amongst the Newcastle defence.Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty ImagesMunoz has not had much of a pre-season, and may well end up being played more on the left, but the 23-year-old is an absolutely livewire, and with Liverpool still waiting to add further pace to their wings, he could be the outlet they need at St James’ Park.Through the rest of the defence, the midfield and the forward line, Liverpool are all set.

But in these two key areas there are some big calls for Iraola to make.What will Iraola end up deciding?There is definitely a discussion to be had about these two positions, not only for Newcastle, but for Nottingham Forest next weekend as well.That will be a completely different game on home turf, and Iraola might have one eye on introducing both Jacquet and Munoz in front of a more supportive Anfield crowd.Nevertheless, in the case of the French defender, Iraola may well have concluded that his performance against Como was simply too good to ignore. The former Real Madrid man has looked far more threatening than Ngumoha, and Newcastle may not know what to expect from him.But as he looks to emulate his best moment in a Liverpool shirt so far, it will most likely be Rio who starts on the right.