Two players could make senior Liverpool debuts tonight amid much-changed matchday squad v Saints | OneFootball

For one Liverpool player at least, tonight’s visit to St Mary’s for the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Southampton will be unforgettable.

Among eight changes to the starting line-up by Arne Slot (who’s serving a touchline ban) is a first senior Reds start for Trey Nyoni, who made his debut against the Saints in the FA Cup last season and came off the bench in the previous round of this competition away to Brighton in late October.

He’s among several youngsters included in the matchday squad, with two teenagers on the substitutes’ bench potentially making their first LFC appearance tonight if called upon.

Potential Liverpool debuts for two teenagers

The list of players in reserve to the Liverpool starting XI is a mixture of established names (Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas, Federico Chiesa) and academy youngsters given a rare opportunity on a first-team matchday.

Two of those on the bench could make their senior Reds debut tonight, with Amara Nallo and Rio Ngumoha among those waiting in the dugout in case they get the call from the LFC coaching staff.

(Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images)

Nallo and Ngumoha highly rated at Liverpool

Nallo has been on the bench for three previous Liverpool games – the FA Cup tie against Southampton last season and Premier League clashes against Manchester City (March) and Newcastle (December) – but has yet to appear in a senior competitive fixture.

Signed from West Ham’s academy last year, former Irons striker Carlton Cole has previously waxed lyrical about the 18-year-old’s talents by saying (via Metro): “I would describe Amara as a Rolls Royce of a centre-back.”

Meanwhile, this is Ngumoha’s first inclusion in a senior matchday squad, but the 16-year-old’s name will already be familiar to Reds supporters who’ve been watching his eye-catching exploits in LFC’s underage sides.

Signed from Chelsea after a protracted registration process, his acquisition scorned the Blues to such an extent that they’ve denied Liverpool scouts access to their academy fixtures (The Athletic).

In all likelihood, the teenage duo would only be brought off the bench tonight if the Merseysiders are winning comfortably in the latter stages at St Mary’s, but the mere prospect of a senior debut here attests to how highly they’re rated at the club.

Even if Nallo and Ngumoha don’t feature against Southampton, we suspect that a first-team bow won’t be too far away!