Federico Chiesa makes his first start for Liverpool against West Ham in the Carabao Cup.
The Italian has had brief cameos off the bench in wins over AC Milan and Bournemouth, as he continues to build his fitness after his summer move, and Liverpool boss Arne Slot has confirmed Chiesa is now be ready to feature from the off at Anfield on Wednesday night.
“I don’t think he’s able to play 90 minutes,” Slot said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday morning.
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“He only played 25 now as a maximum in the last three or four months. He’s able to start in our opinion so let’s see. I don’t think he is able to play at the level we want for the 90 against strong opposition.”
Caoimhin Kelleher will again start in goal, with Alisson still out with a muscle injury and Slot revealing it will be “tight” for the Brazilian to recover in time to face Wolves this weekend.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are both rested, with Connor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas coming into the side, while Jarell Quansah gets the chance to impress, having not played since he came off at half-time in the opening match of the season against Ipswich.
Starting Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Bradley, Quansah, Gomez, Tsimikas; Endo, Jones; Chiesa, Gakpo, Jota; Nunez
Subs: Jaros, Van Dijk, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Salah, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Morton
Time and date: 8pm BST on Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Venue: Anfield
TV channel: Sky Sports
