Liverpool boss Arne Slot has stuck to his word and made wholesale changes to his starting line-up against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk not being with the team at all. Federico Chiesa is on the bench.

Alexis Mac Allister and young talent Trey Nyoni come into the team for the quarter-final tie. Mac Allister, who has been banned for the last two matches — one game in the Champions League and one game in the Premier League — starts in midfield. The Argentine is in need of minutes having had two weeks off from competitive action.

Meanwhile, Caoimhin Kelleher returns in goal with the Carabao Cup being the competition for the second-choice goalkeeper, while Jarell Quansah starts at the back. Kostas Tsimikas trained on Tuesday afternoon but he is only ready to be named among the subs.

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Up top, Darwin Nunez is joined by Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott. Wataru Endo appears to be at center-back with Jarell Quansah and Trent Alexander-Arnold possible full-backs.

Slot will be banned from this game with assistant Sipke Hulshoff taking his place on the side of the pitch. But the Liverpool boss, speaking on Tuesday in his press conference, insisted it won't make too much difference.

"Not as much as I thought it should impact because if you are suspended in Holland then you are not allowed to be in and around the dressing room, and you cannot do the media as well," Slot said.

"So, this is a lighter version of suspension I would say that I'm used to but I've never been used to being suspended, so it's the first time I am. I think I'm still able to do the things I want to do.

"The moment you have the less impact on your team is during the 45 minutes. And the most impact you can have is at half-time or before the game — and those are the things I can do.

"In an ideal situation, I would have just been on the sideline. But I got a yellow, which I probably deserved again as well, and it happens."

Slot has a touchline ban after picking up his third booking of the season against Fulham last weekend. That means Sipke Hulshoff, his assistant, will take charge on the bench with the Liverpool head coach watching from the stands.

Southampton starting XI: McCarthy; Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek; Wood, Manning, Downes, Fernandes; Aribo, Dibling, Archer. Subs: Lumley, Edwards, Suguwara, Lallana, Fraser, Amo-Ameyaw, Kamaldeen, Brereton Diaz, Onuachu.

Liverpool starting XI: Kelleher; Quansah, Endo, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold; Nyoni, Morton, Mac Allister; Elliott, Nunez, Gakpo. Subs: Jaros, Tsimikas, Norris, Nallo, McConnell, Danns, Ngumoha, Chiesa, Jota.