Liverpool name squad for Champions League finale - and leave eight stars at home | OneFootball

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has opted to take a second-string squad to face PSV Eindhoven and leave the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker at home.

Seven successive wins mean progress is already secured as the Champions League leaders are guaranteed to finish no lower than second and will claim top spot with a point in the Netherlands.

Saturday’s trip to high-flying Bournemouth is the priority, with a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League to extend or protect, and Slot has decided to rest nine of the players who started in the 4-1 win over Ipswich at the weekend for the eighth game of a nine-match run in 27 days.

Mohamed Salah and and Virgil van Dijk are among nine senior players left out of the Champions League squad travelling to face PSV Eindhoven (Liam McBurney/PA) (PA Wire)

Only Andy Robertson and former PSV forward Cody Gakpo are retained from Saturday’s starting line-up, which means the other senior players left on Merseyside are Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz.

It means academy players Jayden Danns and Trey Nyoni, both of whom have made first-team appearances this season, Kieran Morrison, Isaac Mabaya, Trent Kone-Doherty, Amara Nallo, James Norris and James McConnell have all travelled.

“I wouldn’t say I’m scared. It took me while to understand this new format but I am 100 per cent sure it doesn’t matter at all if we end up one or two; the result has no importance,” Slot explained.

“We play PSV and then Bournemouth and then Tottenham (in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final).

“I’m especially working on PSV and Bournemouth and this is exceptional as normally I would only be looking at PSV – but I’m looking at Bournemouth as well.

“All the ones who I left behind could have played tomorrow but if you look back at our season almost every three, four or five weeks we gave them a break if there was a moment to give them some freshness back.”

Defender Joe Gomez returned to training on Tuesday after missing seven matches with a hamstring injury but he too has remained on Merseyside to continue his recovery.

Midfielder Curtis Jones, who missed Saturday’s win over Ipswich with a groin problem, and striker Diogo Jota, who has been out for a fortnight with a muscle injury, have yet to rejoin the squad.