Hugo Ekitike and Wataru Endo are both back in the Liverpool matchday squad as the Reds take on Barnsley, with Arne Slot having a couple of extra options for his upcoming fixtures.
Ekitike has missed the last two fixtures — against Fulham and then Arsenal — with a minor injury. He had a scan ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage and was unable to take part there despite traveling to London.
Endo, meanwhile, has been out for several weeks with an injury. While he hasn't played much for Liverpool under Slot, he would have been expected to start in the domestic cups, particularly in the early rounds.
Both Ekitike and Endo are named among the substitutes but Arne Slot has named a strong matchday squad, even with a few changes among his starting XI.
Giorgi Mamardashvili starts in goal with Jeremie Frimpong, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson the back four. Curtis Jones is in midfield with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Up top, Federico Chiesa is given a rare opportunity to impress, alongside Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha. Florian Wirtz is among those who could change the game from the bench.
Mohamed Salah is still at AFCON, while Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni and now Conor Bradley are long-term absentees.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot. (Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
"Given our position in the Premier League is currently not what we would want it to be, the FA Cup is a competition that gives us a fresh opportunity to build something meaningful," Slot writes in the official matchday program.
"My experience of the competition is not yet the most extensive — we played only two games last season before going out — but what it means and what it represents is already very clear.
"In those two fixtures, we learned a lot — about ourselves, about the qualities that lower-division opposition can bring, about how it feels to go through and go out, and what the FA Cup means in general.
"These are lessons and experiences that we hope will help us not just tonight, but in every round we get to play."
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In the next round, Liverpool or Barnsley will take on Brighton at home. That tie will be held on the weekend of either February 14 or 15, with the exact time and date to be determined by the television schedule.
"The starting point for this is to give Barnsley the respect that they deserve," Slot continued. "Despite being a young team with a young manager, they already have a reputation for playing good football in League One and they have reached this stage with two very good results against York City and Peterborough.
"Like us, they will view this fixture as an opportunity, particularly as the game will take place in front of a TV audience, which I assume will include a lot of people hoping that there might be an upset. Last season we had similar occasions at home to Accrington Stanley and away to Plymouth Argyle so we should definitely use those experiences, good and bad, in this game."