Arne Slot has given the day off to seven of his senior players as Liverpool meet League Two’s Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup, instead handing a first-team debut to a 16-year-old.
The Liverpool boss made eight changes to his lineup for Sunday’s cup clash from the side that tasted their first defeat in 2025 in midweek.
A first start was handed to 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who becomes the club’s second-youngest debutant in history behind only Jerome Sinclair, while Tyler Morton and Harvey Elliott also got the nod.
Despite the sprinkle of academy talent, Slot’s starting lineup against the League Two side still prominently features senior players, including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai and Diogo Jota.
The occasion has seen several first-team players rested completely, however, which will be of relief to many amid signs of fatigue within the group.
Liverpool lineup vs. Accrington as Ngumoha starts
Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah are all fit but were not included in Sunday’s matchday squad.
Joe Gomez is another notable absentee but he remains in the treatment room with a hamstring injury sustained during the trip to West Ham.
As for why Trent Alexander-Arnold got the nod, Slot explained that he “didn’t think it was the right thing to start Conor again” after playing on Wednesday night, having their return trip disrupted and with 62 hours between the fixtures.
Watch Liverpool vs. Accrington Stanley – Live Streams
Tyler Morton, meanwhile, has recovered from an ankle injury to start and Dominik Szoboszlai is back from the start for the first time since the league trip to Tottenham pre-Christmas.
The abovementioned seven players will be anticipated to return for the important trip to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, who are full of confidence sitting six points behind the Reds in third place.
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