Arne Slot has named his Liverpool starting line-up to face Qarabag in the Champions League.
The Reds will be looking to secure their place in the last-16 of the competition this evening, with a win needed to guarantee that will happen.
Slot is facing injury issues ahead of the game, with Virgil van Dijk the only fit centre-back. But Qarabag are yet to win a single match against English opposition.
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As Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate are both out, at least one change was guaranteed when the Liverpool boss confirmed his team on January 28.
Any surprises for the Qarabag starting XI? Who is playing centre-back!?
Hugo Ekitike during Olympique de Marseille v Liverpool FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7
Credit: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
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Liverpool start makeshift centre-back duo vs Qarabag
There were potential youth options who could have stepped up on the night. But the most obvious was to play Wataru Endo out of position at centre-back.
The Japan international has not started a single league game this term, but was in from the off when Liverpool were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace.
However, from the team news, it appears as though Dominik Szoboszlai is actually playing alongside Van Dijk.
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Elsewhere, amid a run of zero wins from five in the Premier League and a last-16 spot on the line in Europe, Slot had to choose the rest of his eleven carefully.
We have already seen Hugo Ekitike dropped against Bournemouth, but the Frenchman returned to the eleven this week, suggesting Slot is putting a lot of his hope in the Champions League this season.
It’s hard to blame the Dutchman, given how badly the title defence has gone and the fact that results have been largely better in Europe.
Let’s just hope this eleven is enough to get over the line against Qarabag.
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