Arne Slot makes eight changes and 'excellent' youngster gets debut: Liverpool predicted XI vs Accrington
Today at 02:00 PM
Liverpool and Accrington Stanley are set to lock horns in the third round of the FA Cup tomorrow in what promises to be an intriguing game of football at Anfield.
Arne Slot is preparing to take charge of his first game in the competition and will look to put the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur behind him with a convincing win.
While the result looks like a foregone conclusion on paper – owing to the gulf in class between the two sides – the magic of the cup has seen several giant killings over the years, so Liverpool need to be wary of that.
And here’s how they are expected to line-up for the game as Slot rings in the changes.
Defence
Alisson Becker was in goal for the Carabao Cup semifinal against Tottenham, but Caoimhin Kelleher is set to replace him between the sticks at Anfield tomorrow.
Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas are set to continue in defence, but Liverpool’s centre-back pairing tomorrow could be one worth keeping an eye on.
Slot confirmed that Jarell Quansah has recovered from his illness and the Englishman should be named in the starting XI if everything goes as planned.
With Joe Gomez injured and Ibrahima Konate still working his way up to full fitness, there is a bit of pressure for Virgil van Dijk to start yet another game.
However, we think the Dutchman will be handed a much-needed rest, with Amara Nallo making his full debut for the club.
Barry Lewtas described Nallo as an ‘excellent’ talent and the youngster will look to give the Anfield faithful a glimpse of his outrageous potential if he gets some minutes tomorrow.
Midfield
The likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones are set to be rested, so Wataru Endo is expected to start as a number six, having filled in as a central defender after Quansah’s substitution against Tottenham.
Harvey Elliott is also gunning for a start and we feel the 21-year-old will get only his second start of the season tomorrow, while Trey Nyoni is also set to be given another chance to impress after his performance against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
Dominik Szoboszlai is back in contention after recovering from an illness, but it remains to be seen if he gets any minutes tomorrow as he has only trained with the U-21s thus far.
Attack
Darwin Nunez is suspended for the Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest and didn’t start against Tottenham, so he becomes an obvious choice to lead the line tomorrow.
Federico Chiesa is also expected to earn only his second start of the season and the Italian will look to make a mark as speculation surrounding his future continues to dominate the back pages.
Mohamed Salah could be rested as he has played pretty much every game this season, while the same goes for Cody Gakpo.
Diogo Jota started against Tottenham and is slowly working his way back up to full fitness, but we think Luis Diaz will start on the left wing, having been benched for the Carabao Cup game in midweek.
The likes of Jayden Danns and Rio Ngumoha are expected to be on the bench and the Anfield faithful could well be treated to their cameos if the result is beyond reasonable doubt in the second half.
