Liverpool are preparing for a cup final in the shadow of European elimination and Paul Merson wants Arne Slot to make two huge selection changes for the game.
Speaking with Sportskeeda, the former Arsenal man said: ‘Darwin Nunez missed his penalty against PSG in the shootout, but I would still want him to start this game against Newcastle.
‘He is someone who always creates problems to defenders.
‘If I’m Dan Burn or Fabian Schar, I want to play against Diogo Jota on Sunday. Jota is someone who likes to drop deep, whereas Nunez would work those centre-halves a lot more by constantly engaging with them.
‘I doubt he will get a chance after the penalty miss, but he’s a menace inside the box and no defender wants to play against him in a final like this!’
‘Another big selection call Liverpool must make is with respect to their goalkeeper.
‘Caoimhin Kelleher is probably the best no.2 in the world right now and has been incredible in cup games for Liverpool.
‘Alisson is in fine form as well like we all know. I think Arne Slot will go with Kelleher here.
‘And rightly so, he shouldn’t leave the kid out after relying on him all throughout this competition. It’s not even a gamble because Kelleher has proven himself more than once in the past.’
They would be two big decisions for the Dutchman to make to his starting line-up at Wembley but you can understand the thinking behind both.
Kelleher and Nunez will be hoping that they can start at Wembley
With Alisson Becker starting the semi final first leg, it’s no forgone conclusion that he will be rotated against Newcastle, especially given his amazing performance against PSG.
Caoimhin Kelleher is usually the man for these occasions and will likely not get another chance to play a game this season, so this could be the perfect way for him to play would could be a final final.
Diogo Jota hasn’t been at his goal scoring best since returning from his most recent injury, meaning there’s certainly an argument for rotation.
With Darwin Nunez being handed a 1/10 for his performance against the Parisians though, he may not be in the best place to come back into the side.
Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo may both also be hoping to start as well, with the mental and physical impact of our Champions League exit taking its toll on all four attackers and the decision around who gets the nod.
There’s plenty of big calls for our head coach to make, let’s just hope whoever does play is able to help us secure silverware.
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