Predicted Starting XI for FA Cup tie with Southampton

After a day of celebration and recovery, Liverpool now must shift their focus to yet another competition, the FA Cup. They have a 5th round meeting with Southampton on Wednesday as the beat goes on.

There will still be a handful of significant players that will miss out with the Premier League match against Nottingham at the weekend being kept in mind as well.

As it were, a lineup must be put out and I took a shot at what it could be when the time comes. Here we go.

GK - Caoimhin Kelleher

The Irishman was absolutely outstanding during the Final on Sunday as he made some truly top level saves to keep his side in it.

With Alisson still on the shelf for the immediate future, Kelleher will man between the sticks for Jurgen Klopp going forward. He has more than proven his worth and the club should not be worried with him getting these starts.

RB - Conor Bradley

The young Northern Irishman played 71 minutes on Sunday during the Final, most of which came playing as a right winger out of necessity.

He still did his part and was a constant menace for Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell. With him coming off with more than a quarter of an hour remaining, and as a result not pushing through extra time as well, Bradley should be one of the more rested key players going into Wednesday.

He will play a key role in chance creation in this one for sure.

CB - Jarrell Quansah

Following his legendary heroics on Sunday, I think that Virgil van Dijk will get this match off as he recovers for the Premier League match just a few days later.

That means Quansah, who came on in extra time, should be tabbed with a start in this FA Cup fixture against the Saints. He has been a fixture in many of the Cup competitions and has hardly put a foot wrong this season.

His size, strength and composure belies his age and Klopp and his staff will be more than comfortable with him patrolling the backline.

CB - Ibrahima Konate

The Frenchman was replaced by Quansah after putting on a strong display shutting down the likes of Nicholas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku.

He will be the most senior defender to start this match in my view, and he will be asked to lead by example. I think he should cope well and Southampton will have a hard time combating his and Quansah's physicality throughout the match.

LB - Kostas Tsimikas

The Greek Scouser provided the winning corner kick during the League Cup Final after coming on just before the end of regular time.

Andy Robertson looked a bit ragged when he came off, so I do think that Tsimikas should get the start here as he can more than cover for the Scot. He brings a similar threat down the wing and the Reds can still trust his crossing knowhow.

CM - Bobby Clark

This is where things get interesting as Ryan Gravenberch is certainly going to miss out, while Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai will be questionable at best.

Clark, who came on late against Chelsea looked very assured on the ball. It was his confident step-over into a shot that won the corner for the eventual match winning moment.

Clark could very well handle a start against the Championship opposition and I think his confidence on the ball and progressive passing could be a good tool to have.

CM - Alexis Mac Allister

Mac Allister will be the most experienced midfielder to start this match as he came off in the 87th minute of the Final.

He has been playing very well the last few weeks as he continues to find his footing as he thrives in his box-to-box role for Klopp. Playing Southampton will give him another opportunity to keep pulling the strings for this Reds squad.

CM - James McConnell

I think another academy standout from the magical Final gets a start here as McConnell will probably play in a deeper holding role to allow both Clark and Mac Allister to get further forward.

He looked very assured during his cameo on Sunday and his abilty to break up the play and reset the attack is a rare trait for someone his age. He reads the game so very well and the more match time he gets, he will only get better and better.

This midfield trio should bring a nice balance of cover, tenacity and progressive thinking to the match.

RW - Harvey Elliott

This is also tricky as Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez would hope to be in contention but based off Klopp's recent update, I think they will likely return at the weekend instead.

This means Elliott, who played the full two hours on Sunday might be asked to go again from the start in this FA Cup tie. While he is one of fittest players in the squad, his energy never seems to waver, I will not expect him to go the full 90 in this one. 65-70 minutes should be his limit.

CF/ST - Jayden Danns

This might be ambitious to have three Academy starlets getting a start here, but necessity requires this. One would think Cody Gakpo makes sense here but I have him covering outside.

Danns came on during the Final and was instantly a threat. He is direct, confident and puts himself in good and threatening positions. He had a few clear chances on Sunday that required good saves.

It will be interesting to see if Klopp will trust a player his age to lead the line for 65-75 minutes. I think he can handle it.

LW - Cody Gakpo

I don't believe Liverpool or Klopp should risk Luis Diaz in this one. He, like Elliott, played the full two hours on Sunday but looked a little worse for wear.

He did a lot of running and while he is also one of the more fit players, putting him back in for a start doesn't seem wise. Elliott, 7 years younger, is probably better equipped to handle the turnaround.

Gakpo is more than capable of playing on the left as he has been quoted saying it's his preferred position. He will be bring a viable threat from outside-in during this match.