With Liverpool facing Tottenham in the Carabao Cup, Arne Slot has already confirmed there will be at least one change from the Reds’ 2-0 win over Bournemouth.
Liverpool’s squad is in exceptionally good shape at the moment and it has left Slot with selection headaches, albeit positive ones.
Despite being 1-0 down from the first leg, the Reds are favourites to progress and play in the Wembley final on March 16.
Seeking to overturn the one-goal deficit, Liverpool have almost a full pack to play with, but they are missing one key player.
Team news
Here’s what Slot revealed in his press conference:
Trent Alexander-Arnold “will miss the game” against Tottenham due to a thigh injury
With regard to Sunday’s game, Liverpool “have to see if he is able to play” against Plymouth
Having not even told the players as of Wednesday morning, Slot wouldn’t reveal who would start in goal, but he had already made a decision
Liverpool’s XI vs. Tottenham
Liverpool’s semi-final second leg against Tottenham falls nicely in the calendar for Slot, who has the chance to rest players in the Reds’ subsequent match on Sunday against second-division Plymouth.
This means he should be able to field what is almost his full-strength starting XI at Anfield, before rotating at the weekend and returning to a quasi-first-choice side against Everton next Wednesday.
There are four key positions in which Slot must decide who to start, with the goalkeeper being the obvious starting point – the coach remained coy in his press conference about which of Alisson and Caoimhin Kelleher will play.
The left-back and advanced midfielder berths are the other contested positions, with Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas vying for the former while Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones fight for the other.
Here are Slot’s likely decisions:
Alisson starts in goal despite Kelleher having played in the first leg
Robertson plays at left-back after an impressive performance vs. Bournemouth
Szoboszlai keeps his place in the side but Jones comes in for the FA Cup
This is how Liverpool would line up:
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo
Attack is another area in which the manager has plenty of options.
Diogo Jota has shown excellent goalscoring form when he has been fit this season, and Slot could look to make the most of his availability.
This would allow Luis Diaz to move back out to his favoured left-sided position, meaning Cody Gakpo would act as an impact substitute should Liverpool be struggling.
In this scenario, Tsimikas would come back into team
Jones would start his first domestic game since the first leg in north London
Kelleher would start in goal to make his 16th appearance of the season
Here’s how this alternate team would look:
Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Jota, Gakpo
Whichever lineup of players Slot decides to pick, Anfield should be a driving factor in their performance.
The crowd should be loud from the start given the deficit Liverpool face. We’ve been here before and come back from more difficult positions.
That isn’t to underestimate Tottenham, though. This feels like a season-defining match for Ange Postecoglou’s team and they will be putting everything on the line to keep Liverpool out.
