Calvin Ramsay will make his full debut for Liverpool, while Darwin Nunez will start when Liverpool take on Derby County in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Liverpool will be the favourites when they take on Derby County at Anfield on Wednesday. And the fans will expect a comprehensive victory. It has been a difficult season for the Reds, and the Carabao Cup could be their best chance of winning a trophy. Jurgen Klopp will demand a professional performance from his players here.
The home side will be without their usual casualties here. Joel Matip, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, and Arthur Melo are long-term absentees with injuries. Meanwhile, Naby Keita is still working on his match fitness and will miss out. Klopp is likely to shuffle his pack here to keep the squad fresh. The young players should get a chance here.
Liverpool vs Derby County Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
Liverpool assistant manager Pep Ljinders took charge of the pre-match press conference, saying, “Naby will be difficult, he’s still training individually. Let’s see for Southampton. Millie will definitely be ready for Southampton but this game [against Derby] comes too early for tomorrow.”
“Then we have of course Joel, who is getting closer to team training but will not make Southampton probably. The longer injuries, Luis Diaz is running for the first time on Thursday. That’s good news because we all know how important he was last year and in the second half of the season.”
Caoimhin Kelleher is set to start in goal. The young Irishman has been excellent for Liverpool whenever called upon and will look to make his mark against Derby County.
In the back four, Calvin Ramsay is likely to be handed his first start since joining the club. Nathaniel Phillips and Joe Gomez should be the centre-backs, with Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk getting some rest. In the left-back position, Andrew Robertson needs a breather, and Kostas Tsimikas is likely to start.
Harvey Elliott, Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will line up in a midfield three. The captain will look to anchor the midfield, while Oxlade-Chamberlain will be the box-to-box midfield. Elliott will be the Reds’ main source of creativity.
The front three will comprise of Fabio Carvalho, Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez. All three players could use a confidence boost and this is a good opportunity for them to get on the scoresheet against Derby County.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Ramsay, Phillips, Gomez, Tsimikas; Elliott, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Jones, Nunez, Carvalho
