Liverpool drop triple hint ahead of Toulouse clash as Jurgen Klopp poised to make changes

Liverpool under-21s suffered a 2-1 EFL Trophy defeat at the hands of Barrow at Holker Street last night.

A spirited performance from the young Reds was not enough despite Mateusz Musialowski’s 25-yard rocket in the 29th minute giving the away side the lead. But Sean Etaluku and Mazeed Ogungbo hit back for the League Two outfit in the second period, with Barry Lewtas’ side’s Group A campaign finishing on three points from as many matches.

There is a chance that Liverpool can still move into the knockout stage of the competition if Blackpool beat Morecambe next week. 

For the clash against Barrow, Kaide Gordon stepped up his injury return by captaining the side. The 19-year-old winger missed more than 18 months of action because of a pelvic injury before suffering an ankle issue after his return.

Meanwhile, Lewtas fielded three players aged 16. They were Trey Nyoni, Amara Nallo - who were signed in the summer from Leicester and West Ham respectively - and Carter Pinnington. 

Interestingly, the young Reds left out three key players which suggests they’ll be involved in the Europa League trip to Toulouse on Thursday evening (17.45 GMT). Luke Chambers, Calum Scanlon and James McConnell all did not feature against Barrow, having played in the under-21s’ 4-0 loss to West Ham United last weekend.

With a maximum of 12 substitutes permitted in Europe, it appears that the fledgling trio will all be involved, having been given outings in the 5-1 triumph against the French side at Anfield.

Chambers was handed a full debut against Toulouse as he operated at left-back in place of Kostas Tsimikas, with Andy Robertson sidelined with a shoulder injury. In the second half, the England under-20 international was replaced by Scanlon who made his Liverpool bow before McConnell came off the bench in the closing stages of the encounter for a maiden first-team appearance.

Jurgen Klopp is likely to make changes to his side from Sunday's 1-1 draw against Luton Town. The likes of Caoimhin Kelleher, Joel Matip, Wataru Endo and Cody Gakpo are all expected to be handed opportunities.