Jurgen Klopp may have to start with Liverpool’s Carabao Cup-winning kids to try and keep their quadruple bid going against Southampton in the FA Cup.
Jayden Danns, who has never begun a first-team game, and James McConnell and Bobby Clark, who have only started one each, all came off the bench against Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday, along with 20-year-old Jarell Quansah.
And with Ryan Gravenberch added to Liverpool’s lengthy injury list and Klopp admitting he may need “miracles” for others of his senior players to be available on Wednesday, he could field an inexperienced side at Anfield on Wednesday.
Liverpool will only have one training session before the game and Klopp will look his players in the eye before he picks his team, which could include several of the youngsters.
“It is possible a few of them have to start and if they do they will have to do the job and we all have to help them with celebrating the right things and not moaning about the wrong things,” he said.
Klopp believes there should be no pressure on the teenagers if they do play, explaining: “They don’t have to show anything. It is easily misunderstood. All these boys have to do is enjoy what they are doing. They have to defend like men, otherwise they cannot play, but with the ball [they can play].”
Gravenberch was stretchered off at Wembley after a first-half challenge from Moises Caicedo and Klopp has already ruled the midfielder out of Saturday’s trip to Nottingham Forest.
He said: “It is a ligament injury. It could have been much worse but bad enough for him to be ruled out for this game, next game, we will see.”
Klopp is waiting to see if Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, who has missed the last two games, and Dominik Szoboszlai, who has been out since January, can make their comebacks, but Wataru Endo is a doubt.
Endo, who played a key role in Liverpool’s win over Chelsea, is now a doubt (Getty Images)
He said: “We need miracles in a few players so I don’t want to rule them out for too long but it is touch and go with a lot of players who were not available for the final. Darwin, Dom and Mo, we have to see what they can do today. Wataru got a proper knock as well, so we have to see as well. I wouldn’t say it is much improved.
“When I get all the information and the players arrive and I can look in their eyes and see, then I will make the line up. I hope and I am pretty positive about it, that it will be a decent line-up.”
