Liverpool Team News: Sakho ruled out, Klopp likely to give youngsters a run against Derby

Liverpool are likely to be without several members of their first-team squad as they travel to face Derby County in the EFL Cup.

Liverpool will be without several players as they travel to face the Rams on Tuesday. Joe Gomez is still recovering from an ACL and is likely to be out for another month or so. Young prospect Sheyi Ojo is also ruled out with a lower back problem.

Roberto Firmino did not feature in the game against Chelsea with a minor groin strain and even though Klopp confirmed in the pre-match conference that the Brazilian had returned to training, he is likely to be rested with one eye on the weekend’s match against Hull City.

Daniel Sturridge and Georginio Wijnaldum are doubts for the game. Sturridge missed the pre-match training session on Monday, while Wijnaldum suffered a cramp in the latter stages of the Chelsea fixture. Klopp is likely to give a start to youngster Kevin Stewart in the midfield, with the player also featuring, albeit as a substitute, against Chelsea.

Karius looks set to take his place between the posts while Joel Matip is likely to start at the heart of the Liverpool defence with Klopp confirming that Sakho will be unavailable for selection as he is yet to complete his recovery. The match would provide the best experimenting ground for the German manager in order to have a closer look at the other players of their first-team squad and youth team.

At Derby County’s end, they will be without midfielder George Thorne, with the player expected to be out till Christmas having injured himself in the penultimate game of the 2015-16 season. The Rams are also set to miss new recruit Ikechi Anya, who suffered an injury in the last game against Bristol City while Jason Shackell and Johnny Russel are major doubts.