Arne Slot makes bold call for Liverpool's Carabao Cup clash with Southampton as Mohamed Salah & Virgil van Dijk are left OUT

Arne Slot took a bold call ahead of Liverpool's Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Southampton on Wednesday as he left out star players Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk from the travelling squad. The Dutch manager named a second-string starting lineup as he wanted his first-team stars to rest amid a hectic run of fixtures in December.

This is the first time that Salah has been excluded from the Reds' matchday roster in the 2024/25 campaign as he has appeared in all of the 23 matches the club have played thus far. Van Dijk, on the other hand, has made 21 appearances.

Liverpool academy's 16-year-old forward Rio Ngumoha has been included in the squad and could make his senior debut for the club against the Saints.

After facing Southampton, Slot's side will be back in action in the Premier League on Sunday as they take on Tottenham Hotspur in an away fixture.