Here we go again- you’ll see Liverpool FC, in name only, battle in a cup competition. Manager Jurgen Klopp has made it clear- he will not be there, and neither will his senior team when the Reds battle Shrewsbury Town in a FA Cup 4th round replay on Tuesday.
Klopp, concerned about all the wear and tear on his team from progressing through various competitions, has said that the kids will play in this one and U23 boss Neil Critchley will manage them. Just like in the EFL Cup quarterfinal against Aston Villa. Klopp wants his side to be able to take advantage of the February Premier League break, just like every other team will. This call has been met with controversy, but Klopp doubled down on his decision.
For those that think Klopp is desecrating the game, he doesn’t have time for your complaints. When you look at Liverpool U23’s 3-0 win over Arsenal yesterday, you’ll see that the key youth players were rested and thus they’ll be in the first team on Tuesday night. This is Anfield writes: “The likes of Harvey Elliott, Neco Williams, Ki-Jana Hoever and Sepp van den Berg were all absent as they prepare for midweek, but Caoimhin Kelleher did take his place in between the sticks as invaluable game time came his way.”
So with that in mind, here’s the Liverpool starting lineup prediction we’re going with:
Kelleher; Hoever, Van den Berg, Clayton, Williams; Chirivella, Dixon-Bonner, Kane; Elliott, Hill, Longstaff
Liverpool should have enough to get past a side from the third tier of English football here, but even if they don’t, it would not be the end of the world. They have not reached the fifth round of this competition since 2015, and as you know, have much bigger things to play for this season.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.
