Premier League leaders Liverpool face bottom-placed Southampton in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Arne Slot’s Reds are among the favorites for the title and the Champions League, but they want to win silver just as much as they want to get one step closer to their first piece of silverware on offer.
The managerless Saints are playing their first game since the sacking of manager Russell Martin, with interim Simon Rusk taking charge for the first time.
Check out all the team news below for the 8pm kickoff at St. Mary’s.
Southampton team news
The Saints make three changes from the team that lost 5-0 at home to Tottenham on Sunday.
James Bree comes into play at right-back, Nathan Wood also comes into the back four, while Kyle Walker-Peters and Jan Bednarek are rested.
Cameron Archer gets the nod from the front.
Southampton XI: McCarthy, Bree, Harwood-Ellis, Bednarek, Wood, Manning, Downes, Fernandes, Aribo, Dibling, Archer.
Substitutes: Lumley, Edwards, Sugawara, Lallana, Fraser, Amo-Ameyaw, Kamaldeen, Brererton Diaz, Onuachu.
Our @Carabao_Cup Quarterfinals XI 🤜🤛 pic.twitter.com/c73Guv1Wfg
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) December 18, 2024
Liverpool team news
There is no Virgil van Dijk or Mohamed Salah for Liverpool as Slot makes eight changes from Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Fulham.
Harvey Elliott makes his first start of the season after returning from injury, while Alexis Mac Allister returns from suspension.
Darwin Nunez starts up front, 17-year-old Trey Nyoni gets a chance and Wataru Endo is called up in defense. Trent Alexander-Arnolf is likely to start at left-back.
Liverpool XI: Kelleher, Gomez, Quansah, Endo, Alexander-Arnold, Morton, Mac Allister, Nyoni, Elliott, Gakpo, Nunez.
Subs: Jaros, Chiesa, Jota, Tsimikas, McConnell, Nallo, Ngumoha, Danns, Norris
The team news for our Carabao Cup quarterfinals is here 👊 #SOULIV
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 18, 2024
