Luis Suarez and 4 More Liverpool Irregulars to Face Manchester United

Karl Matchett@@karlmatchettX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistSeptember 19, 2013

Luis Suarez and 4 More Liverpool Irregulars to Face Manchester United

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    Liverpool will have their Uruguayan forward and top scorer from last season, Luis Suarez, back after just one more competitive match, as he completes his 10-match suspension at last.

    Having not figured at all during 2013-14 thus far, Suarez's first game to be eligible will be the League Cup third-round fixture against Manchester United.

    For the domestic cup competition, there are likely to be a few other changes made as well, though given the rivalry with the opposition, it is unlikely that Brendan Rodgers will make sweeping changes to the whole team.

    Here are four more potential players to come into the side along with Suarez's return to action.

Martin Kelly

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    Still in the stages of recovery following his ACL injury last term, Martin Kelly has now featured in three Under-21 matches for the Reds over the past few weeks, the most recent of which was a comeback victory over Sunderland.

    While he has featured at centre-back previously, a return to right-back was, in the words of Rodgers via Liverpoolfc.com:

    ...the game to push him on. He has been excellent in training - he is very focused on his fitness and sharpness. In the game the other night he was excellent.

    Kelly has been on the bench for the first team but has not really been ready for action because of his lack of game time.

    The League Cup might provide an opportunity to give him a much-needed run-out, even if it's just for 50 or 60 minutes, especially with injuries to Aly Cissokho and Glen Johnson in the full-back areas right now.

Raheem Sterling

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    Raheem Sterling is essentially Liverpool's 12th man just now, being used by Brendan Rodgers as an impact substitute in the Premier League and almost an automatic pick to come into the side if there are absentees in the front line.

    He started the game against Notts County in the last round, ending up at right-back, a position he also ended up in during the Under-21 game against Sunderland recently.

    Sterling should be in the frame to start against United from his more usual attacking role, but perhaps Rodgers has in mind that he could be the one to move to right-back in an emergency, or if Kelly does need replacing for the final half hour or so and more attacking options are required.

Luis Alberto

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    Another big performer in the Under-21 match was Luis Alberto, who scored a hat-trick for Liverpool in the 5-2 win.

    Although regularly in the first-team squad lists for matches, the Spaniard has only made two appearances thus far and will be hoping for more action in the cups at least.

    Figuring against Manchester United would likely be the biggest game of his fledgling career so far, but if he has put in enough work in training to impress the watchful eye of Rodgers, then his could be the name to replace the injured Philippe Coutinho in the League Cup clash.

Joe Allen

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    Enough of the youngsters; here's a senior player who needs some game time.

    Not only has Joe Allen been on the periphery of things this season, but Liverpool's midfielders have also had to get through an awful lot of work in the league matches so far, meaning a little rotation would not go amiss, even given the opposition.

    Allen impressed in the deep-lying midfield role at the start of last season and should be given the opportunity to impress once again, with the other two spots in the team likely out of reach right now.

    Taking into account those four players, plus the return of Luis Suarez, it would be interesting to see the Reds' lineup as follows: Mignolet; Kelly, Toure, Agger, Jose Enrique; Allen, Gerrard, Luis Alberto; Henderson, Suarez, Sterling.

    Of course, the likes of Mamadou Sakho, Daniel Sturridge and Iago Aspas still leave plenty of quality depth for the bench. Still, a little rotation to keep the team sharp and bringing in players completely familiar with the tactics would go a long way toward giving the Reds the best possible chance of winning.

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