Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has made 10 changes to his starting line-up for the FA Cup third round tie with Plymouth Argyle on Sunday.
The German tactician will be hoping for a strong cup run to coincide with Liverpool’s bid to win the Premier League title this season, and although he has freshened things up after a busy festive schedule, he’ll be confident in those starting to get the job done.
Amongst the biggest inclusions is the return of Joe Gomez who hasn’t featured under Klopp since rupturing a cruciate ligament at the start of his tenure at Anfield.
In turn, having the 19-year-old back will be a major boost for Reds boss who will now benefit from having an additional option available to him in defence.
Elsewhere, Emre Can is the only player to keep his spot in the line-up from the 2-2 draw with Sunderland, while he’s joined by the likes of Kevin Stewart, Sheyi Ojo and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the XI.
Some will perceive this as a bit of risk from Klopp to make so many changes for what could be a tricky cup game.
However, given that Liverpool are at home, have the likes of Adam Lallana, Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge on the bench, they will be confident of advancing to the next round with several of their young stars handed an opportunity to shine.
There was also a bit of history made, as per ESPN FC, as Liverpool’s line-up is the youngest ever in their history with an average age of 21 years and 296 days, beating the previous record set in 1965 which stood at 22 years and 303 days.
#LFC XI to face #PAFC: Karius, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Lucas, Moreno, Stewart, Can, Ejaria, Ojo, Woodburn, Origi.
— Sky Football ?? (@SkyFootball) January 8, 2017
#PAFC XI to face #LFC: McCormick, Miller, Songo’o, Bradley, Purrington, Threlkeld, Fox, Carey, Jervis, Slew, Garita.
— Sky Football ?? (@SkyFootball) January 8, 2017