How Liverpool could line up vs Southampton : Early team news

Liverpool looks set to only have four first-team defenders in the squad for their League Cup quarter-final against Southampton because of injuries and suspensions

Trent Alexander-Arnold is seemingly the only recognised full-back available to feature for Liverpool in their League Cup quarter-final against Southampton. The club's vice-captain appears to be one of only four first-team defenders from whom head coach Arne Slot can select.

Conor Bradley continues to recover from the hamstring injury that has kept him out since that performance versus Real Madrid in the Champions League. Kostas Tsimikas has also been out since late November with an ankle injury.

In the latter's absence, Andy Robertson played every minute of the Reds' last five matches across all competitions. That was until referee Tony Harrington sent off the left-back against Fulham after the Scot was adjudged to have denied a clear goalscoring opportunity by fouling Harry Wilson.

Robertson will now serve a one-game suspension and thus miss the upcoming cup tie. Going down to ten men led to Slot dropping Ryan Gravenberch into the middle of the backline with Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk to make it a 3-4-2 system. Jarell Quansah later came on to allow Gravenberch to move back into midfield.

Those three who ended Saturday's match at Anfield appear set to be called upon again on the south coast, with Gomez and Quansah playing every minute of Liverpool's two ties this season. However, Slot has rotated Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk in this competition, with both not playing at all in the League Cup this season.

That could be where under-21s players Amara Nallo and James Narris come in after notably not featuring in Monday afternoon's Premier League 2 game against Crystal Palace. The former is a centre-back, while Norris plays as a left-back, as he did off the bench at this exact stage of the League Cup five years ago in the 5-0 defeat to Aston Villa.

How Liverpool could line up vs Southampton: Kelleher; Quansah, Gomez, Van Dijk, Norris; Endo, Mac Allister, Morton; Elliott, Nunez, Jota.