We've reached the final round of the new UEFA Champions League single group format, with Liverpool still leading the standings with 21 points before tonight's match against Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, who are in 19th place with 11 points.
Liverpool's closest pursuer is Barcelona in second place with 18 points. Arne Slot has decided not to call up van Dijk, Salah, Diaz, Konate, Alisson, Jota, Alexander-Arnold, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, and Gravenberch.
In other words, Slot has decided to travel to Eindhoven with the second-string players for several reasons, including that the team has largely secured first place unless they lose to PSV and Barcelona beats Atletico, in which case Barcelona would lead on goal difference.
The Reds also have a busy Premier League schedule, facing Bournemouth next Saturday, as well as Tottenham in the Carabao Cup, Plymouth in the FA Cup, then matches against Wolverhampton, Everton, Manchester City, and Newcastle.
February's schedule is packed with matches, so it was a good decision not to call up the first-team players with qualification already secured.
It's an opportunity for players like Quansah, Nunez, Elliott, Endo, and Chiesa to get playing time without pressure.
Liverpool also leads the Premier League table and still has chances to win both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. The team is competing for all trophies, so it's important to rest these players, as Slot confirmed during the team's pre-match press conference against PSV:
"I think we are playing, like all the teams in Europe, many, many, many games and these players have already, so all the ones that are left behind could have played tomorrow."
Slot continued in the press conference about the match congestion and competitions:
"If you look back at our season, it's been almost every time after three or four or five weeks, we gave them a break during the week when it was the League Cup or the FA Cup."
He also spoke about any opportunity to rest players: "If there was a moment for them to get some freshness back, we've always done that."
Slot also confirmed that the decision to rest players came after deep consideration of the new Champions League format and the difference between first and second place, saying:
"It took me a while to understand this new format, but I always say when I think I'm 100% sure I used 99.9%, but now I can say I'm 100% sure that it doesn't matter at all if we end up first or second."
Slot continued in the press conference about the importance of the PSV match:
"So this is a game for us, because we are now number one, or two, we cannot drop to number three."
And about the importance of not losing even if the match doesn't affect the standings:
"But a very wise man once said to me, I've never seen anything good coming from losing a football game, so we are not going into the game tomorrow trying to lose the game, we will do everything we can trying to win it of course."
From Slot's press conference, we understand the importance of the match even if it doesn't affect the team's position, but it's an opportunity to test players and give them more playing time