Amid injury concerns and a heavy fixture congestion, Jurgen Klopp is expected to field a fairly rotated Liverpool line-up against Arsenal in the FA Cup at the weekend.
The Liverpool boss will be without the likes of Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo, who have now joined up with their respective national teams. Meanwhile, Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas, Joel Matip and Thiago are all expected to miss out with long-term injuries.
There are also concerns over the fitness of Dominik Szoboszlai, who limped off holding his hamstring in Liverpool’s first game of the new year against Newcastle United on Monday night.
With an important League Cup semi-final on the horizon next week, Klopp won’t want to take too many risks in his line-up. The Liverpool boss will be determined to get a result against Arsenal, but not at the risk of his own players welfare.
Which is why it is to be expected that he will make a few tweaks to his starting XI, with potentially some youngsters being given a chance to prove their worth.
Owen Beck set for Arsenal chance
Among them, according to a report by The Athletic, could be Liverpool’s 21-year-old full-back, Owen Beck who say that ‘the stage is set’ for him to make a rare appearance.
The youngster has just been recalled from his loan spell at Dundee FC in the Scottish Premiership, where he registered two goals and two assists in 20 appearances. It had been a positive experience for Beck, who became a fan favourite among the club’s supporters, and stood-out for his ability on the ball.
Among full-backs in the Scottish Premiership, no one averaged more dribbles (4.18 per 90) than the Liverpool defender as per Wyscout.
Beck also earned a call-up to the senior Welsh national team during his time at Dundee.
Now with injuries to Robertson and Tsimikas, he should be given a golden chance to make his mark at Liverpool. Previously, he’s made just two appearances in the League Cup, back in 2021 – playing a total of 11 minutes overall.
Against Arsenal, with Gomez expected to be rested, those minutes should increase significantly.
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