Arne Slot admits he has struggled to sleep ahead of Liverpool’s FA Cup clash with Brighton as he mulls over his options and whether he should rotate his lineup.
After their hard-fought 1-0 win at Sunderland on Wednesday night the Reds are back at Anfield three days later to host Brighton in the FA Cup.
Typically the domestic cups are used to rotate the squad, giving the likes of Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa opportunities to start.
But a shift in priorities along with the strength of Saturday’s opposition led to a sleepless night for Slot on Thursday as he considers whether or not to stick with a full-strength XI.
“Yesterday it took me a long, long time before I could fall asleep,” he told reporters on Friday.
“Because I was constantly considering what options I have for the lineup or what I should do.
“Do you play the same players again or is this the moment for the others? And which others? Which positions?
“So I need another 24 hours to decide on the lineup.”
Slot named a surprisingly strong lineup for the third-round win over League One side Barnsley but it did still hand 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha another platform to start.
Will Slot start Rio Ngumoha and academy players vs. Brighton?
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Monday, January 12, 2026: Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha (R) goes past Barnsley's Reyes Cleary during the FA Cup 3rd Round match between Liverpool FC and Barnsley FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
There were more chances for youth in the Carabao Cup prior to Liverpool’s exit at the hands of Crystal Palace, with Ngumoha also starting in that competition along with Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morrison, Calvin Ramsay and Giovanni Leoni.
While the domestic cups have often been a stage for the club’s academy standouts, Slot was less convincing when asked if more would feature against Brighton.
“I’m looking always at them. Yesterday they trained again [with the first team], all of them,” he explained.
“A few of them come closer and closer to first-team football and a few of them already had it like Rio and Trey.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - New Year's Day, Thursday, January 1, 2026: Liverpool substitute Rio Ngumoha on the bench before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United FC at Anfield. The game ended in a goal-less draw. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“Games like this could be an option for them as well, but it’s finding the right balance because we do play a very good and strong team in Brighton tomorrow.
“Finding the right balance and who to play is something we’re going to think about even more today.”
Slot added: “If we would have had a different opponent tomorrow then I maybe would have made other choices.”
Three of the youngsters who came off the bench in the Carabao Cup – Kaide Gordon, Wellity Lucky and Jayden Danns – are currently injured, while an U21s fixture on Sunday could require the likes of Amara Nallo and Trent Kone-Doherty.