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3 weeks ago
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Liverpool boss Arne Slot talks to Sky. “The players who have played many, many, many minutes are not even with us … the players who have played a lot of minutes will not play the whole game today … the ones who haven’t played that much, it’s an ideal moment for them to play 90 … it’s easier for [Tyler Morton and Trey Nyoni] if they can come in with ten other starters because the connection with the team is perfect … now there are a few different players … they know what to do but they will face a strong Southampton team … we knew how difficult it was two or three weeks ago when we played our starters … it is going to be a challenge but it’s a quarter-final so you expect a challenge.”
Saints interim manager Simon Rusk speaks to Sky Sports. “Obviously a quick turnaround from Sunday … a little bit of time to get organised on the grass … get to know the guys … we’re confident we’re where we need to be … the best we can … we look forward to it … there have been things in games that have been excellent, so we try to retain that … but of course we want to be hard to beat … make sure we have solidity to our game … if we get the balance right we’ll have enough to cause problems … it’s a great competition … it’s an opportunity for us to make it a catalyst for the season.”
Here’s a reminder of exactly what happened when these two teams clubs met last month …
… and here’s how things went down the last time they met in the League Cup, back in the 2017 semis. Features an outrageous 54th-minute Fraser Forster save from, er, Fraser Forster.
Saints make three changes in the wake of the Spurs debacle. James Bree, Nathan Wood and Cameron Archer are in, replacing the absent trio of Kyle Walker-Peters, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Adam Armstrong.
Liverpool make eight changes after their draw with Fulham. In come Caoimhín Kelleher, Wataru Endō, Jarell Quansah, Tyler Morton, Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott, Darwin Núñez and, making his first start for the club, the exciting 17-year-old midfield prospect Trey Nyoni. They replace Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch, Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah, who have all stayed at home.
The teams
Southampton: McCarthy, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Wood, Bree, Downes, Fernandes, Aribo, Manning, Dibling, Archer.
Subs: Lumley, Edwards, Sugawara, Lallana, Fraser, Amo-Ameyaw, Onuachu, Sulemana, Brereton Diaz.
Liverpool: Kelleher, Quansah, Gomez, Endo, Alexander-Arnold, Morton, Mac Allister, Nyoni, Elliott, Gakpo, Nunez.
Subs: Jaros, Chiesa, Jota, Tsimikas, McConnell, Nallo, Norris, Danns, Ngumoha.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).
Preamble
It’s hard to know what to expect here tonight. Southampton are coming off the back of their clown-shoe special against Spurs, and have just sacked their manager; high-flying Liverpool dropped precious Premier League points at home to Fulham at the weekend, but still received plenty of praise for their ten-man moxie. On the other hand, Saints gave Liverpool a good run for their money here in the league last month, and the previous time this fixture was played, it ended in a 4-4 draw. Throw in any number of potential League Cup changes by both teams, plus the fact there’s a semi-final appearance on the line, and good luck predicting what will happen here. Straight to penalties if there’s no winner in regulation time, remember. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
