Liverpool manager Arne Slot has left Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike on the bench for Sunday's Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. The decision comes as the Reds prepare for a crucial Champions League second leg against Galatasaray on Wednesday, following a 1-0 defeat in Istanbul.
Seventeen-year-old Rio Ngumoha makes his first Premier League start, while Cody Gakpo leads the line in place of Ekitike. Jeremie Frimpong also starts, replacing Salah in the attacking lineup. Slot explained the changes, citing the demanding schedule: 'It is three games in seven days for us, with on Wednesday a possibility of more than 90 minutes, but this game is crucial for us.'
Dominik Szoboszlai is expected to play at right-back, with Joe Gomez partnering Virgil van Dijk in central defence. Ibrahima Konate drops to the bench, and Andy Robertson replaces Milos Kerkez on the left. Alisson Becker returns in goal after missing the midweek defeat with a minor muscle issue, while Federico Chiesa is back in the squad after illness.
Liverpool's full lineup is: Alisson; Szoboszlai, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Frimpong, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Gakpo. Substitutes include Mamardashvili, Konate, Kerkez, Jones, Salah, Ekitike, Chiesa, Nyoni, and Ramsay.
