No Kelleher or Elliot, player who shone against Derby County, impressed Klopp, will take Fabinho's place

It was not until a penalty shoot-out that Liverpool were able to beat Derby County in the Carabao Cup. The time has come once again for Liverpool to unleash some of their talented academy players and give them a real footballing test in one of England's most traditional competitions, the Carabao Cup, with Jurgen Klopp's side facing Derby County at home for 90 minutes.

The early rounds of the EFL Cup have for some time represented the perfect opportunity at Anfield for Liverpool's top prospects to showcase their footballing qualities, with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Caoimhin Kelleher and Harvey Elliott all going through the process in previous years, while last season's competition saw the likes of Kaiden Gordon, Conor Bradley and Tyler Morton.

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With the Reds being the defending champions after beating Chelsea in the final, the newcomers will have a certain pressure and responsibility not to fail and leave their team out so early in the competition, with Jurgen Klopp relying heavily on Spanish midfielder Stefan Bajecetic, who at 17, has caught the eye of the German tactician.

The Reds' new gem has been almost a gift to Jürgen Klopp this year, as the youngster has been a regular in the first team throughout the season after appearing as a substitute in both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, and has spoken highly of him as his role in midfield has been well executed for both Liverpool and the Spain Under-19s.

Bajcetic dazzled Klopp

The interesting thing about Bajcetic is not only his good football in the midfield, but also that, at his young age, he has been able to understand perfectly the requirements of his coaches, because while in Spain he plays as a central midfielder, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have treated him more as a holding midfielder, aiming with this level to an early start in the Premier League.