Liverpool welcome a turbulent Arsenal side to Anfield on Wednesday and, judging by the comments from Pep Lijnders, it could be another experimental side that start the match.
Jurgen Klopp put a big focus on his youngsters in the Reds’ third-round clash against MK Dons, with five academy players featuring, and one in Ki-Jana Hoever getting on the scoresheet.
Arsenal seem to be in a bad way on and off the field, with many fans dissatisfied with Unai Emery, and that could prompt Klopp to take a more relaxed approach when deciding his team.
That could be good news for some fo the fringe players, too, particularly midfielders Naby Keita, Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who could get another chance to impress after valuable contributions in recent matches against Genk and Manchester United.
Others who should see this as a great occasion to express their ability are Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez, who should partner each other with Virgil van Dijk likely to be missing, and with Matip also missing one of them could become a regular starter over the next few weeks.
With that under consideration, here is how we think the Reds will line-up against Emery’s side as Klopp makes ten changes to the side that beat Spurs last time out.
Klopp’s assistant has already confirmed that Caoimhin Kelleher will be trusted between the posts ahead of Adrian, a decision which has caused shock amongst some fans, but they are likely to be pleased if fellow youngsters Harvey Elliott and Rhian Brewster get another run-out.
The former particularly impressed in the previous round, picking up a rating of 9/10 from the Liverpool Echo, and if Klopp can also get Brewster to show the form he has for the U23s – with four goals in seven Premier League 2 games – then Arsenal could struggle.
To claim the win, though, the Reds will likely need their experience to shine through, particularly as the Gunners’ second-string side have already played together on multiple occasions in the Europa League this term.
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That means the contribution of Oxlade-Chamberlain could once again prove vital.
He should be determined to build on his two goals against Genk as another fine performance will apply pressure on Klopp to consider handing him a more regular starting berth ahead of Georginio Wijnaldum or another midfielder.
Two others who lack game time this campaign are Lovren and Gomez. They started together against MK Dons and performed well, and if they do so against better opposition then they should show Klopp that they can be reliable options when Matip and van Dijk are unavailable.
