Jurgen Klopp’s reign as Liverpool manager has so far only yielded three draws, but a first win is a strong possibility on Wednesday night when the Reds host lowly Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup.
Bournemouth’s confidence is likely to be low after losing 5-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Klopp has hinted that he will rotate his squad for the midweek match. He is quoted by BBC Sport as saying: “It’s a very, very important game. But I know we have a lot of games in the legs so we have to change.”
For what it’s worth, here’s how we expect Liverpool’s starting XI to look against the Cherries…
GK: Adam Bogdan
Liverpool’s no.2 goalkeeper was the penalty-shootout hero as the Reds edged past Carlisle United in the last round.
RB: Connor Randall
Nathaniel Clyne has played every minute of every Premier League game so far this season. The Reds’ other senior right-back, Jon Flanagan, is still injured, so 20-year-old Randall could make his debut as Clyne takes a much-needed rest.
LB: Jose Enrique
The Spaniard was banished by former manager Brendan Rodgers, who did not include him in Liverpool’s Europa League squad, as reported by the Liverpool Echo. As a result, Enrique was ineligible to play against Rubin Kazan. Klopp may have wanted to use Enrique against Kazan – because Alberto Moreno could use a break – but he was unable to.
Enrique is available in the Capital One Cup and this game seems like a perfect chance for Klopp to bring him back into the first-team fold.
A good performance against Bournemouth could convince Klopp to add Enrique to his European squad when the registration window reopens in the New Year.
