Slot has revealed five players expected in Liverpool's starting lineup against Qarabag in tonight's UEFA Champions League match.
On 28 January 2026, Liverpool manager Arne Slot spoke about team selection ahead of the final group stage match of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, hosting Azerbaijani team Qarabag tonight at 03:00 GMT+7.
Liverpool will be missing six players for this match: Joe Gomez (head injury), Ibrahima Konaté (personal reasons), Alexander Isak (leg), Conor Bradley (knee), Giovanni Leoní (knee), and Jayden Däns (fractured bone).
Reporters asked Arne Slot about the defensive lineup, noting the absence of Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konaté, and Giovanni Leoní leaves only Virgil van Dijk as a professional center-back, which contributed to Liverpool’s recent 2-3 loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League.
When asked if Japanese defensive midfielder Wataru Endo would again be deployed as a defender, as in the Bournemouth match where he came on as a substitute for Joe Gomez, Slot replied, "He has been injured for quite some time. He had to play against Bournemouth despite not having played for a while."
"We have games coming up, including another in three days. As I have said, that’s not the only factor I consider when selecting the team; tactics also play a role."
"Certainly, we are short on center-backs, so I have to use midfielders because no other center-back is available except Virgil van Dijk, whom I greatly admire for his consistent fitness. At his age, being ready to play 90 minutes regularly is something we must not overlook."
Regarding whether Dominik Szoboszlai will be shifted from midfield to right-back again, Slot said, "As I mentioned, I consider him for almost every position. We will have to wait and see. Jeremy Frimpong can play right-back but also as a winger."
"For the right wing, I also have Mohamed Salah, so I have two options for that position, plus Jeremy who can play right-back. If we include Dom or Curtis Jones, I have three options for right-back."
"But we both agree that he plays best as a midfielder. Dominik and I are certainly aligned on this point."
This means Arne Slot will choose five players who have started matches before, with the expected starting eleven as follows.
(4-2-3-1 formation) Alisson Becker (goalkeeper), Jeremy Frimpong, Wataru Endo, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkes, Ryan Grafenberg, Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike.
