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Girona vs Liverpool: Arne Slot hands a huge opportunity to two wonderkids

In the Champions League this season, Liverpool have been emphatic.

Winning all five of their games against AC Milan, Bologna, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid, they have racked up 15 points, with 12 goals scored and 1 goal conceded.

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As such, Liverpool are the first team to qualify for the latter stages of the Champions League and they currently have a five-point buffer to ensure they progress straight through to the Last 16, rather than having to go through a Last 32 stage.

Girona on the other hand, are on three points, sitting in 30th place.

And so although the Reds have had a few extra days off, as a result of the Merseyside Derby being cancelled this weekend because of Storm Darragh, Slot may still decide to give his key players some further rest and recuperation.

The Premier League is not scheduled to have a winter break this season, so this is a huge opportunity to take advantage of.

Six academy players trained with the first-team squad and two have been selected for the matchday squad to play against Girona.

James McConnell

© IMAGO

Throughout last season, Jurgen Klopp gave McConnell plenty of opportunities to play with the first team, and he certainly made the most of them.

He was trusted to see out Liverpool's EFL Cup final win over Chelsea, and that performance subsequently gave him further chances in the FA Cup and the Premier League.

Now that Alexis Mac Allister has been suspended for this game, having been shown three yellow cards in the five games he's played in the Champions League so far, McConnell may be given the nod to feature at some point.

James Norris

James Norris Liverpool

© IMAGO - James Norris Liverpool

Norris is a 21-year-old full-back who specialises in playing down the left-hand side.

He is yet to make an appearance for Liverpool's first team but has been a regular in the U21s set-up.

While Kostas Tsimikas remains injured, and Andy Robertson is in a mixed vein of form, Slot may choose to bring Norris in to give him a flavour of what professional football is like and to expand his full-back options.

Joe Gomez is likely to deputise Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right-hand side, unless Slot decides to experiment with Jarrell Quansah at right-back, and as such Robertson will need an understudy.

Norris has shown he is perfectly capable in the position throughout his career, up to date, with Liverpool's U21s most recent win in the EFL trophy showing a clear template of what you can expect from him.

Liverpool's academy depth

While not making Liverpool's matchday squad this time around, there are four standout names that fans should keep an eye out for in the remaining Champions League games, as Slot may be more open to rotating the team once qualification is secured.

Jayden Danns, for example, was Liverpool's third-choice striker role for Liverpool last season.

While Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota were the players Klopp chose, he was able to make a serious impression in Liverpool's cup competitions, scoring twice at Anfield in the Reds' 3-0 Fa Cup win over Southampton.

Amara Nallo was featured in Liverpool's Premier League squad to travel to Newcastle last week, and the 19-year-old centre-back could be next in line to enter the Reds' defence alongside Van Dijk, Gomez and Quansah, while Ibrahima Konate remains sidelined.

Trey Nyoni shone in midfield for Liverpool during their preseason campaign, giving fans a first glimpse of his impressive dribbling ability in midfield.

The 17-year-old featured for Liverpool's first team off the bench, when the Reds overcame Brighton in the EFL Cup 3-2, and he is a talent that Slot will be itching to try out sooner rather than later.

And then we have the Reds' very own star boy in Rio Ngumoha, who made the move to Merseyside in a huge transfer deal from Chelsea, that has left the Blues seething.

At just 16 years old, he has already made a bright start to his career, showing attributes in his attacking play that are beyond his years.

So, although Slot may have decided against some of Liverpool's other bright stars, it is likely that the Dutchman will call on some of the club's rising talents, who continue to knock on the door of the first team.

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