Arne Slot was insistent in the build-up to Liverpool’s game with Southampton that this was the start of a week with three cup finals. He would not be making changes for any other reason that refreshing things might be necessary after a draining game with PSG.
There are some alterations, however. Midweek hero Alisson Becker will be expecting a much quieter game than at the Parc des Princes. He starts in goal with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Kostas Tsimikas across the back four. Andy Robertson and Jarell Quansah are among the substitutes.
In midfield, Slot goes with Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai. Alexis Mac Allister and PSG goalscoring hero Harvey Elliott are among those in reserve should they be required.
Mohamed Salah starts on the right of the Liverpool frontline with Darwin Nunez through the center and Luis Diaz on the left. Cody Gakpo is still unavailable because of a minor injury. He traveled to Paris midweek but was not fit enough to be involved. Diogo Jota is among the subs.
“This is a game that comes on the back of a very testing Champions League match away in Paris, and because of the quick turnaround, it is clear that we will have to dig deep to go again,” Slot, who will serve the second and final game of his touchline ban here, writes in his official matchday program notes. “This is not a complaint, it is just our reality.
“We do not get to make excuses and nor do we want to. We just have to do whatever it takes to give ourselves the best possible chance of getting a positive result. Again, if you are a team that wants to go hard in the Premier League and the Champions League — which we are — this is an obligation.
(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
“It is clear, though, that given the efforts that the players put in on Wednesday night, we will need our supporters today. In football, it is sometimes easy to look at the fixture list and predict when there will be a big atmosphere but sometimes it is as much about the need and the moment. This, I would say, is definitely one of those occasions.”
Liverpool starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Diaz. Subs: Kelleher, Quansah, Robertson, Endo, Mac Allister, Elliott, McConnell, Chiesa, Jota.
Southampton starting XI: Ramsdale, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Manning, Ugochukwu, Smallbone, Gronbaek, Dibling, Fernandes, Kamaldeen. Subs: McCarthy, Sugawara, Welington, Stephens, Bella-Kotchap, Aribo, Lallana, Archer, Onuachu.
