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After acknowledging that his Liverpool side lacked sharpness in Saturday's disappointing draw with a leaky Fulham side, Andoni Iraola is set to make significant changes for Tuesday's Carabao Cup clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
While Iraola has navigated injury problems at Bournemouth before, he has never had to manage such a demanding fixture schedule. Free midweeks are now a luxury of the past, and Iraola's squad rotation must be carefully handled if Liverpool are to remain competitive across all competitions this season.
The Carabao Cup is not a tournament Liverpool can simply disregard, yet Iraola must be shrewd in handing opportunities to squad players, giving his key men the chance to rest and recharge.
With that in mind, here's how Liverpool could set up.
Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Tottenham
GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili—The shot-stopper is expected to be among several changes from Saturday's starting eleven against Fulham. Mamardashvili is a capable backup, but nothing beyond that.
RB: Ronald Araújo—The Barcelona loanee has made an impressive start to life at Liverpool, with Iraola appearing to have found a reliable option at right back.
CB: Joe Gomez—Gomez returned to training last week and will be pushing for a place in the starting lineup for the Carabao Cup. Liverpool's thin options in this position mean Iraola is desperate for the Englishman to remain available throughout the campaign.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—Van Dijk has remarkably managed to stay clear of injury throughout his time at Liverpool, and Iraola should have no hesitation in deploying his skipper in this early-round cup fixture.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas—Tsimikas is far from the ideal deputy to the energetic Milos Kerkez, as Saturday's draw demonstrated. Nevertheless, the Greek international could earn the nod here, with Kerkez likely to feature at his former club this weekend.
CM: Trey Nyoni—The time has come for Iraola to show greater trust in young midfielder Nyoni. The Liverpool manager has struggled to settle on the right midfield setup, and the teenager could help address several of the team's ongoing concerns.
Pick Your Liverpool XI
CM: Dominik Szoboszlai—It has not been the season opener Szoboszlai had envisioned, and some have begun to question whether Liverpool would be better served with the Hungarian playing outside of Iraola's central midfield structure.
RW: Jeremie Frimpong—Arne Slot occasionally deployed Frimpong in a more advanced role to compensate for his defensive shortcomings. Iraola could adopt a similar approach midweek, though Liverpool fans would be equally satisfied seeing the Dutchman kept on the bench.
AM: Lewis Koumas—Iraola holds the 20-year-old Koumas in high regard, and the youngster has an opportunity to outshine Florian Wirtz on Tuesday. He is likely to drift from a No. 10 role into wider positions throughout the match.
LW: Rio Ngumoha—The signing of Bradley Barcola has intensified competition for Ngumoha's place, but he looks set to start on his favoured left side when Spurs come to town in the cup.
ST: Alexander Isak—With no obvious alternatives unless Iraola opts for a creative solution, Isak is likely to keep his place as the central striker. The Swede netted his first Liverpool goal at this stage of last season's competition during a 2–1 victory over Southampton.