Arne Slot has hinted at possible changes to his lineup for Saturday’s match against Southampton but emphasised that any rotation would have nothing to do with Liverpool’s upcoming Champions League second-leg clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Reds secured a 1-0 victory in the first leg in Paris on Wednesday and will aim to build on that lead when PSG visit Anfield next Tuesday, with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.
Liverpool’s substitutes played a key role in the win over PSG, with Harvey Elliott scoring the decisive goal with his first touch after being set up by fellow substitute Darwin Nunez.
Given the tight turnaround between games, Slot acknowledged that he might consider making adjustments for Saturday’s top-versus-bottom Premier League matchup against Southampton.
However, the Liverpool head coach stressed that, if not for the quick succession of matches, he would likely have been tempted to keep the same starting XI due to the strong performances from his substitutes.
He explained his reasoning behind rotation, citing the need to manage player fitness over the busy schedule.
“For me, the one against Southampton is by far the most important,” Slot said.
“Not only because it is the first one we play, but it is a very, very important one for us.
“If – IF – I make the choice to play other players, that is because I think it is the biggest chance to win the game tomorrow and not because I want to rest them for the game against Paris Saint-Germain.”
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Cody Gakpo is a doubt for the 3pm GMT kick-off against Southampton after traveling to France but being left out of the squad for the first leg against PSG on Wednesday night.
At the time of manager Slot’s media briefing, it was unclear whether the Netherlands forward would be fit to feature tomorrow at Anfield.
“He didn’t train yesterday yet, so let’s see if he can train with us today,” said the head coach.
“Again, [a] close call it will probably be. It’s not a long-term injury but he still had a bit of pain yesterday so he was not able to train. Let’s see where he is today, so I can’t give you the answer yet.”
