Predicted Liverpool Lineup vs Exeter City

Liverpool earned a well-fought win against Stoke on Tuesday in the first leg of Capital One Cup semi-finals. And things will get slightly easier for them on Friday. They will be facing the League Two side, Exeter City, in the third round of the FA Cup. But Liverpool have one big hurdle in their way – their injuries problems. Liverpool are very much affected by injuries and many of their first team players are not available for the FA Cup fixture. It is expected that Klopp will be playing many of his academy players, but playing without any first team players is a big risk. Which youngsters are going to get their chances? Here is Liverpool’s predicted line-up for their match against Exeter City:

Goalkeeper – Adam Bogdan

Bogdan is one of those first team players who are expected to play on Friday. Bogdan’s last appearance for Liverpool came against Watford in the premier league. It was his first premier league game for Liverpool, but things went wrong for him. His error in the opening minutes of the game led to Watford’s first goal and he looked nervous then on. He will be looking to gain back his confidence against Exeter on Friday. His experience will be important for the young defenders that are expected to start in front of him.

Defenders – Connor Randall, Tiago Ilori, Lucas Leiva, Brad Smith

It is expected that Klopp will be resting many of his first team players and also quite a number of his players are out injured. This will give the youngsters at Liverpool to prove a point. Connor Randall is one of those youngsters to start for Liverpool. Randall will be occupying the right back position, which is currently owned by Nathaniel Clyne. Clyne is feature almost every match for Liverpool. Liverpool did not have any first team centre backs after the Stoke game. Dejan Lovren and Kolo Toure got injured during the game. Mamadou Sakho got injured before the game. Martin Skrtel was already injured and Joe Gomez is not returning anytime soon. Liverpool’s lack of centre back problem has led them to call Tiago Ilori back from loan. He was on loan at Aston Villa, but he was not able to kick a ball for their senior side. The loan deal being cut short is the best option for all three parties. Ilori is expected to go straight into Liverpool’s starting lineup after returning from loan. When Dejan Lovren got injured during the match against Stoke, it was Lucas Leiva who played as the centre-back for Liverpool. He handled the situation pretty well. He even won some headers despite being short. We expect Lucas to continue as Liverpool’s centre-back on Friday. Academy player, Daniel Cleary, is the next centre back option Liverpool have at the moment, but they cannot afford to play a team full of academy players. Alberto Moreno has played almost every minute for Liverpool under Klopp and like Clyne, he is also expected to be rested. We expected the Australian, Brad Smith, to start for Liverpool against Exeter City.

Midfielders – Joe Allen, Cameron Brannagan, Joao Carlos Teixeira, Sheyi Ojo, Ryan Kent

Joe Allen was Liverpool’s one of the most impressive players against Stoke. Later he revealed that he is playing for his future at Liverpool. He was able to take his chance against Stoke, now he will get another chance to impress and it will against the League Two side. Cameron Brannagan is another Liverpool youngster who is expected to start on Friday. Brannagan is the captain of Liverpool’s U-21 side and against Exeter, he will be getting the chance to show why he is their captain. Teixeira  has been with the first team for some time now, but he is a player who has never given much chances. He is a very good playmaker and he is the abilities to be a top player. It is expected that Klopp will give him the opportunity to exhibit his talents against Exeter.

Sheyi Ojo is one the three players whom Liverpool recalled from loan recently, due to their injury problems. Ojo was not given proper playing time at Wolverhampton, but now he is back at his parent club. And he is expected to go straight into Liverpool’s starting line-up on Friday. Ryan Kent was recalled from his loan last week by Liverpool. He was on loan at Coventry and even though he had scored only a single goal he had an impressive loan. He is one of Liverpool’s most talented academy players and he too will be getting a chance to prove his worth in Liverpool’s FA Cup fixture.

Striker – Christian Benteke

As stated before, Liverpool cannot afford to play a team full of academy players. Liverpool will need the experience of some of the first team players and hence we expect Christian Benteke to start for Liverpool. Liverpool looked much better without Benteke on Tuesday against Stoke, but the Belgian is having a bad time because of his low confidence. The former Aston Villa man has to somehow regain confidence and Friday’s match will be the perfect chance for him to score a goal or two and help boost his confidence.