Arne Slot might be about to make ruthless Liverpool selection decision - 'you will find out tomorrow'

Arne Slot refused to confirm whether Caoimhin Kelleher will be in goal for Liverpool when they face Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg tomorrow.

Kelleher has been the Reds’ goalkeeper in the competition for the past three seasons. He’s helped them win it twice, having been the hero in the 2022 final victory over Chelsea at Wembley which Liverpool won on penalties. He also kept a clean sheet in last campaign’s 1-0 triumph over Chelsea.

Kelleher is No.2 to Alisson Becker in the Premier League and Champions League. There was an agreement with former manager Jurgen Klopp that the Republic of Ireland international would play in the Carabao Cup. Kelleher was also excellent when deputising for Alisson while he was sidelined with a hamstring injury earlier in the season.

Seaking at his pre-match press, Slot was asked if Kelleher will be in between the posts against Tottenham. But the Liverpool head coach did not commit to an answer and replied: “I think I have decided the whole line-up already but in many ways, people have tried to get to know what the line-up is. I said many times there are many things going into a line-up and and that’s the same for tomorrow.

“You will find out tomorrow what arguments there are. If you ask before and after the game, I am always more than happy to answer those questions but, first of all, the players should know how we are going to play and if all of them are available. That is something we have to find out.”

Slot has rotated his Liverpool team in the earlier rounds of the Carabao Cup. Fringe players such as Wataru Endo, Jarell Quansah and Tyler Morton have all benefited from minutes, having lacked opportunities in the Premier League and Champions League.

But with Wembley on the horizon, coupled with Liverpool facing a Tottenham side who can be dangerous despite their problems this season, Slot may opt for a stronger XI. He added: “If you look at all the fixtures we have had this season, there are so many things going into a line-up; short term, long term, quality of the opponent, where are my players. There is always going to be a decision made about, in our line-up for tomorrow, the best line-up for tomorrow. In some situations, for Southampton away, the best line-up was the ones that didn’t start a lot. Let’s see how that is tomorrow for the game we play against Tottenham.

“Maybe I didn’t use my words in a proper way. I didn’t say the players that will play haven’t played that much. There are many considerations when you make a line-up. There are many others things going into a line-up as well. We might play a few that haven’t played all of the games and might play a few games who have played all of the games. I can tell you now, it is the first time we train after Sunday. Yesterday, we were not off but they did recovery so let’s see how they came out of the game and we will make the line-up for tomorrow.”