Liverpool out to avoid giant-killing repeat! Arne Slot makes line-up admission ahead of FA Cup clash with Barnsley after being stung by Plymouth upset

Liverpool rotated all 10 of their outfield players for a meeting with the Pilgrims at Home Park, and paid the price as the Reds found themselves on the wrong end of a famous giant-killing. Slot named an inexperienced bench that day, with Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez the only senior stars to figure among his replacements.

The Merseysiders were competing on four fronts at the time, in domestic and continental competition, and felt the need to shuffle their pack in order to keep key personnel fit. They have fallen off the pace in their top-flight title defence this term and are already out of the Carabao Cup.

With that in mind, Slot has vowed to go much stronger when League One outfit Barnsley pay a visit to Anfield on Monday. He has said: “Last season I made the decision that some players needed to rest in the FA Cup because you cannot play every player every single time.

“But it’s obvious that we’re not in the League Cup anymore and the FA Cup has always been very important for us, but sometimes in a season where you are still competing for the League Cup, for the Champions League and the league, with the amount of players we had last season and have this season, you have to make choices.

“But I can guarantee you that on Monday you will see all the ­players you saw against Arsenal, maybe with some substitutions, but then they will be on the bench. So that’s going to be different than last season against Plymouth.”

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Slot also paid the price for making 10 changes in a Carabao Cup tie with Crystal Palace this season, as Liverpool were dumped out of that competition, but he maintains that such an approach has to be taken early in any given campaign.

The Dutchman added: “We all know in cup competitions things can happen, but you cannot compare Plymouth away with the players we played back then to ­Barnsley at home. I was just informed the last time Barnsley played against us they beat us in 2008 in our stadium. We take them very seriously. As we took Plymouth as well, and people would argue that if they look at the lineup.

“But then I again have to tell them why we did this, and why did we play the League Cup against Crystal Palace with the players we’ve played. That is because if we had played ­Virgil [van Dijk] and these players again maybe I would have missed out on them against Arsenal as well.”

Liverpool played out a goalless draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal in their last fixture. They more than held their own at Emirates Stadium - despite failing to register a shot on target - and are now 10 games unbeaten across all competitions.

They did, however, suffer another injury setback against the Gunners - having recently lost £125 million ($168m) record signing Alexander Isak to a broken leg. Conor Bradley picked up a knee problem in north London.

That incident generated plenty of controversy, with the Northern Ireland international right-back going down after clearing the ball out of play. Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli subsequently tried to drag the 22-year-old from the pitch, with the Brazilian forward later apologising for his actions.

It has been suggested that Bradley, who is set to undergo surgery, will sit out the remainder of the season despite avoiding an ACL rupture. He has damaged the bone and ligaments in his left knee.

While Bradley has been ruled out for the foreseeable future, and is sweating on his World Cup dreams as Northern Ireland seek to navigate a route to that tournament through the UEFA play-offs, French forward Hugo Ekitike is available again after sitting out two matches with a hamstring problem.