Arne Slot omits 12 Liverpool players from squad - but forgotten defender loved by Jurgen Klopp included

Liverpool have hosted a plethora of first-team players for their Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night.

The Reds are already into the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition, having won all seven games of the new league format so far. As a result, they are guaranteed a top-two finish and a draw will secure first place.

As a result, Arne Slot has the luxury of resting a lot of his main players. They include captain Virgil van Dijk, talisman Mo Salah, vice-skipper Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alexis Mac Allister.

No.1 goalkeeper Alisson Becker is left on Merseyside so Caoimhin Kelleher will be in goal, while Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai are omitted.

Joe Gomez was back in training earlier today as he works his way back from a hamstring injury but is not ready to be invovled while Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones remain sidelined.

Head coach Slot has called up a host of youngsters to be in his 21-man squad against PSV. Included is right-back Isaac Mabaya, who impressed former manager Jurgen Klopp during pre-season ahead of the 2022-23 season. Klopp said after a 1-0 pre-season loss to Red Bull Salzburg in July 2022: “The young kids, the self-confidence they have at that young age, I think that’s a really good sign for the team as well.

“How the team let these boys grow next to them. Seventeen years old, Isaac [Mabaya], a little mic check! I couldn’t deal with that. So, really cool, cool moments the whole night.”

In addition, teenagers Amara Nallo, Trent Kone-Doherty and Kieran Morrison feature along with Jayden Danns and James McConnell and Trey Nyoni, who are on the periphery of the first team. Danns came off the bench in last weekend’s 4-1 win over Ipswich Town in the Premier League while Nyoni was handed his full debut in a 2-1 Carabao Cup win at Southampton last month.

Endo, Nunez, Chiesa, Gakpo, Elliott, Tsimikas, Robertson, Kone-Doherty, Mabaya, McConnell, Jaros, Kelleher, Nallo, Morrison, Danns, Norris, Quansah, Morton, Bradley, Davies, Nyoni.