Alisson was opted for over Caoimhin Kelleher in the League Cup, a competition the latter has made his own, and Arne Slot has now explained why.
Kelleher has featured 17 times in the League Cup for Liverpool, accounting for 28.3 percent of his total appearances for the club (60).
In stark contrast, Alisson featured just once in the competition prior to being named in the starting lineup at Tottenham for the semi-final first leg.
Many will have assumed the Irishman would remain as first-choice for Wednesday’s encounter, but Slot threw a curveball and has now explained why.
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“There are choices like playing Alisson and Jota, they are two players that came back from an injury,” Slot told Sky Sports when discussing his team selection.
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“We think they need match rhythm in this period of time after coming back from an injury.”
Match rhythm is not something we would currently expect Alisson to need after starting the last five games prior to the trip to Tottenham, but he will be expecting a break on the weekend.
With the Reds facing League Two’s Accrington Stanley on Saturday lunchtime, more significant rotation will be on the cards and that includes Kelleher.
It could be seen as a risk to play Alisson in the first of the two legs, but Slot will be hoping for a strong result to afford him more flexibility in the second leg at Anfield on February 6.
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Slot will also have taken into account that this fixture is only Liverpool’s third game since Boxing Day and that the majority of Wednesday’s starters will be rested prior to the trip to Forest next Tuesday.
In other selection news, the Reds boss has also insisted that Trent Alexander-Arnold was not dropped having elected to start Conor Bradley in north London.
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