Connor Randall, Cameron Brannagan, Joao Teixeira Handed 1st Liverpool Starts

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will hand full debuts to three of the club’s brightest young prospects on Wednesday night, with Connor Randall, Cameron Brannagan and Joao Teixeira all to start the League Cup clash with Bournemouth.

On Tuesday the German revealed at his press conference he would be seeking to give some of the Reds’ exciting academy players a chance to shine, per Hamish Mackay of the Daily Mirror. It appears they weren’t hollow words from the former Borussia Dortmund boss either, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo:

For Randall it’ll be a first ever appearance with the senior side and for a young man brought up in the city, an extremely proud moment.

The 20-year-old right-back has clearly caught Klopp’s eye early on, having been on the substitutes bench for all three of the German’s previous matches in charge. Now he’ll get his opportunity to impress in earnest, with England international Nathaniel Clyne likely to be rested.

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Brannagan and Teixeira have featured previously for the first-team from the substitutes bench, but neither have been handed a chance as substantial as this one.

Brannagan, who signed a new long-term deal with the club recently, has long been a player that’s impressed for the Under-21s team. The Manchester-born midfielder has been a creative force for the academy sides and it’ll be intriguing to see how Klopp seeks to utilise his polished playmaking skills.

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As we can see here courtesy of the Liverpool Twitter account, the manager had a lot of positive things to say about the Under-21s skipper at his Tuesday press conference:

The player who many Reds supporters have been desperate to see get an opportunity for a while is Teixeira, though. His development was shunted after breaking his leg on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of last season, that despite previously impressing.

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Now 22 years old, the Portuguese will be acutely aware just how important it is for him to make good on this chance. Here’s a closer examination of what he can offer:

According to Pearce, the manager has not only been impressed with the footballing ability Randall, Brannagan and Teixeira posses, but the application they have shown in training during the early weeks of his tenure. 

In the piece, it’s suggested Brannagan will operate in an orthodox midfield position alongside Joe Allen, while the Portuguese attacker will be thrust into an advanced position as Klopp seeks to get some incision at the point of the attack. Pearce also writes that Adam Bogdan will replace Simon Mignolet in goal, with the manager looking to give some regular first-team players a night off.