A number of young players are expected to play as Liverpool gets ready to play Toulouse in the Europa League.
Last night, Barrow defeated Liverpool’s under-21 team 2-1 at Holker Street in the EFL Trophy.
Despite a valiant effort by the youthful Reds, Mateusz Musialowski’s 25-yard blast in the 29th minute gave the opposition the advantage. The League Two team responded with goals from Sean Etaluku and Mazeed Ogungbo in the second half, and Barry Lewtas’ team’s Group A campaign came to an end with three points from as many games.
There is a chance that Liverpool can still move into the knockout stage of the competition if Blackpool beat Morecambe next week.
Kaide Gordon led the team in the match against Barrow, stepping up his injury comeback. The 19-year-old winger experienced an ankle problem following his return to the pitch after missing more than 18 months of play due to a pelvic injury.
Lewtas, meanwhile, fielded three 16-year-old players. They were Carter Pinnington, Amara Nallo, who was signed in the summer from West Ham, and Trey Nyoni, who was signed from Leicester.
It’s interesting to note that the youthful Reds omitted three important players, suggesting they won’t be playing on Thursday night (17.45 GMT) in Toulouse in the Europa League. James McConnell, Luke Chambers, and Calum Scanlon did not play against Barrow after participating in the under-21 team’s 4-0 loss to West Ham United the previous weekend.
The young trio looks set to play, having received runs in the 5-1 victory over the French team at Anfield. In Europe, only a maximum of 12 substitutes are allowed.
In place of Kostas Tsimikas at left back, Chambers made his full debut against Toulouse while Andy Robertson was out due to a shoulder injury. The England under-20 international was replaced in the second half by Scanlon, who made his Liverpool debut, and McConnell made his first appearance in the first team when he came off the bench in the game’s final moments.
The lineup that Jurgen Klopp selected for Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Luton Town is probably going to change. Opportunities are anticipated to be given to players like Wataru Endo, Cody Gakpo, Joel Matip, and Caoimhin Kelleher.