Preview: Norwich vs. Liverpool
The Reds start their domestic cup season and we look forward to getting a peek at the B-squad.
Norwich vs Liverpool
| Tuesday, September 21st |
Carabao Cup | Carrow Road
7:45PM BST /2:45PM EST
For the 18th time in 27 matches since Jürgen Klopp’s arrival at the club, Liverpool will face Premier League opposition in domestic cup competition. For the 20-somethingth time, the manager will — quite rightly — send out a pure youth/b-squad, including his assistant manager and heir apparent, Pep Lijnders, to lead proceedings. It’s the Magic of the Cup!™
How Norwich will approach the fixture is uncertain — a shot at Carabao Cup glory might sound tempting, but then again the Canaries have lost five straight in the league and Daniel Farke should probably focus on keeping his starters fresh so they can do something about that.
Indications from Klopp’s compatriot is that Norwich will be making “a few changes”, but whether that entails the sort of wholesale alterations expected from the Reds or if Teemu Pukki, Todda Cantwell, Pierre Lees-Melou and Milot Rashica are to be involved is unclear as of yet.
Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Kelleher; Bradley, Gomez, Phillips, Tsimikas; Jones, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Henderson; Gordon, Minamino, Origi
For the Reds, many first-team players won’t even be making the trip east. Good Pep has already explicitly stated Kaide Gordon is expected to make his debut, while Conor Bradley’s absence during yesterday’s 4-0 loss to Leeds indicates the right-back is in line to be involved with the first team.
Minutes for Joe Gomez and Nat Phillips seem likely, while Neco William’s injury suggests a start for Bradley. Kostas Tsimikas
In midfield, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be given a chance to stretch his legs in his favoured position alongside Curtis Jones, while the third spot is up for grabs. Tyler Morton or Elijah Dixon-Bonner could potentially be in line debuts.
Up top, Takumi Minamino should see his first minutes of the season, probably alongside Divock Origi and the aforementioned Gordon. We try very hard not to excite ourselves about the prospect of Oakley Cannonier, who has scored a goal every 30 minutes or so for the Under-18s this season, joining the first team anytime soon.
What the Managers Said
Pep Lijnders: “The challenge is always the next game in front of you, so we don’t look any further. Now it’s all focus on Norwich. A start is only a start.”
Daniel Farke: “It won’t be that easy tomorrow because we will have a few changes as I also want to learn a little bit more about my team in order to go forward, but I want to be there with a good performance and a good result.”
The Officials
Referee: Darren England
Assistant referees: Harry Lennard, Peter Kirkup
Fourth official: Andre Marriner
Kickoff is set for 7:45PM GMT/2:45PM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV.
In the meantime, and as always, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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