-Credit:Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has named a strong team for the FA Cup third round tie against Accrington Stanley at Anfield, with 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha coming in to start.
Caoimhin Kelleher starts in goal with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kostas Tsimikas at full-back. Jarell Quansah is back from illness to line up alongside Wataru Endo at center-back.
Dominik Szoboszlai returns from an absence of his own in midfield while Harvey Elliott makes his first start of the season. Tyler Morton is also handed another opportunity. Trey Nyoni, who started against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, is among the subs.
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Darwin Nunez leads the line for Liverpool but Federico Chiesa is not in the side. Instead, Ngumoha, who was signed from Chelsea last summer, comes in to make his senior debut. The England U17 international has impressed at academy level this season. Diogo Jota also starts.
“Even though the FA Cup is new to me as a participant, like everyone else who watched English football growing up, I do have ‘experience’ of what makes it such a special competition,” Slot writes in his program notes. “So I am looking forward to sampling it for the first time as a participant.
“I am sure also that our opponents today will have similar excitement about this occasion and I would like to welcome John Doolan and the players, staff and supporters to Anfield.
“Accrington have earned their place in the third round with two very good wins against Rushall and Swindon Town, so we know they will be looking to do themselves justice once again.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot. -Credit:Carl Recine/Getty Images
“For us, it is about looking to get back to winning ways. We have not done too much wrong over the last week but we have not been able to get the results that we would have liked and this is something that we need to respond to.
“The defeat we suffered against Tottenham in midweek was disappointing because there was not really a period during the game when it felt likely that we might lose.
“I will not dwell on the reasons that were out of our control leading up to the decisive goal but at the same time it would not make sense to ignore them altogether because they were so unusual and so significant. But as I said immediately afterwards, if we have to lose a game I would always prefer it to be one when there is a second leg to come.”
Liverpool starting XI: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Endo, Quansah, Tsimikas; Elliott, Morton, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Nunez, Jota. Subs: Jaros, Diaz, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Robertson, McConnell, Danns, Bradley, Nyoni.